What Comes After...
by Ravenlink
Summary: FINISHED! Quidditch, Romance, Mysteries, Weasley Twin's antics, partying, adventure, etc. H/C, R/Hr, and several more. Harry starts a new year, with the shadow of Voldemort's threat over Hogwarts. Can new Romance and Relationships be born? Please R/R!
1. Back to School

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, or the setting (or even the computer I'm writing on). All of these (except the computer) belong to J.K. Rowling, the one-of-a-kind unique author. I just added a few things here and there, and took the story in a different direction.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
It was back to another year at Hogwarts for Harry and his friends. The summer had dragged by terribly slowly, and now, after classes had started, Harry was used to getting a little extra respect. He was, after all, a fifth year; he had finished a majority of his schooling, and was older than the majority of students.  
  
He was walking to Hagrid's class, which was now in the morning. Hermione and Ron were ahead of him, since they had finished breakfast before him. He had been staring off into space in the general direction of the Ravenclaw table, and had snapped out of it with just enough time to get to class. He looked at his schedule. It showed that the next class was to be shared with Ravenclaw, which was one of the reasons he'd been staring at their table earlier. He had expected to be shown up by the house that was known as being the "smartest" of all of them. He sighed. He hated being humiliated, it happened too often…  
  
He arrived at Hagrid's hut and sat next to Ron.  
  
"You're here," Ron said in mock amazement.  
  
"Shuddup."  
  
Hagrid came out just then and immediately paired everyone up. Ron and Hermione were paired up, and Harry was put with a Ravenclaw. She had brown hair, and was shorter than Harry. But then, a lot of people were now. He had had a growing spurt over the summer, and was now taller and a bit thinner than before.  
  
"Today, ye'r gonna look for burrows of…" Hagrid launched right into the lesson. Harry drifted off as his friend described the habits of some fuzzy creature.  
  
He turned them loose, telling them not to stray too far from the edges of the forest.  
  
"Let's go," his partner said, very energetically.  
  
"Right, I'll follow your lead, uh…?"  
  
"Penny. And You're Harry," it was more a statement than a question. So they took to the edges of the woods, which weren't so foreboding in the daylight. Penny had obviously been listening, as she quickly cornered several burrows, and got Harry to furiously scribble notes. It was mostly observations of the debris and poop situated around the burrows, and it was very boring, at least for Harry. Penny seemed excited.  
  
After about 45 minutes, they came back with their findings, and Hagrid started to ramble on about them. It was the first time Harry had written down any notes in this class. He was starting to wonder what had gotten into Hagrid to make him so diligent, when he stopped and brought a furball out of a crate, and set it loose. It scrambled furiously around the students for a few moments, then plunged back into its crate.  
  
Then the class was suddenly over, and Harry slowly got up to go on to his next class. Hermione had to go quickly, since she had some presentation due, and she forced Ron to come help her set it up. As Harry drew closer to the school, he noticed someone's bag ahead of him was looking very worn and ready to fall apart. As if on cue, it suddenly gave and ripped, sending its contents everywhere. The girl who it belonged to sent her friends ahead, and started to pick up her things. Harry came up and bent down to help her. It was Penny.  
  
"Oh, thanks Harry. My friends couldn't help, they have to go all the way up to divination next."  
  
"With that windbag, Trelawny?"  
  
She smiled. "Yeah."  
  
"Well, I know I'm ready for a new bag now," She said. She picked up a piece of parchment, hesitated, then handed it to Harry. "It'll come in handy," she smiled. "Later, Harry." She took off for Divination.  
  
He looked at the piece of parchment. As he walked on, he unfolded it. Neat, small handwriting said:  
  
"I don't know, Pen. Maybe there's a possibility…it all seems to almost make sense…forget I said that…"  
  
Harry shrugged, and walked on.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
It was that time of year. Quidditch practice began that night. Fred and George had some how managed to both become captains, and a new addition was made: Ron. His dreams of becoming Quidditch captain had come a bit closer, if not still far away.  
  
The team walked off of the field, just as another team was leaving, Ravenclaw. The Gryffindors gave them a wide berth, not wishing to interfere with the end of their first practice after a fellow quidditch player's death, no matter what team he was from. It still weighed heavily upon them, but they were now able to have a good laugh at a teammate's antics once again. Looking at Fred, the captain and another player from Ravenclaw chucked the bludgers into the air, giving Harry's team a jump-start into practice. Another player followed suit, and hurled the quaffle down field. One ball left.  
  
A girl walked along somberly, clutching the glinting golden snitch in her left hand. She turned around at her team's actions, and glanced at Harry's team. At him. She managed to smile a bit and threw the snitch in a graceful arc upward. Harry grinned at her, and mounting his broom, rocketed upward. It seemed ages since he had hunted for the small orb, and now he was ready to begin the hunt again. He never lost sight of it, and had snatched it in moments, and then sailed down to meet his team. He looked at the snitch, and saw the previous user's fingerprints all over it. Someone had once told him that to start a practice with a snitch recently used, and not polishing it before using it yourself, was bad luck, and you'd fall of your broom and break your neck or something. That didn't bother Harry.  
  
As Long as Cho was starting to come out of the dip she was in…  
  
For a moment, the letter he'd gotten from Penny seemed to have a feeling in common with the snitch he held, as if someone had recently touched both…. The thought was squashed, though, as a bludger whistled by, bringing Harry back to reality  
  
***Just so you know, the Penny in this story isn't the same from the books. I made her up…*** 


	2. Duty Calls

Chapter 2  
  
Practice had gone well, and had ended too soon. It had been so long since Harry had ridden his broom, and it was hard to leave it until next practice.  
  
Ron was exhilarated.  
  
"Did you hear what Katie said? She said that I was the best replacement we could've gotten for Angelina, since she's our new goalie. I thought I'd do awful, but I did great! Er, not to be too prideful or anything." he trailed off. He had taken Harry's silence for a sign of disappointment at his friend's boasting.  
  
"Yeah, you did excellent," Harry snapped back to reality.  
  
Ron beamed. Getting praise from Harry was great, since he was usually the one praising Harry for being such a child prodigy.  
  
"Wait'll I tell Hermione." Ron was energetic again.  
  
Harry was just about to slip back to his world of silent thought again when something caught his eye. It was something sparkling under the light of the summer evening. Harry came in closer to investigate. It was a silver bracelet, with crystal charms hanging off of it. It looked very nice, and expensive. Someone would be missing it. He picked it up. He was confident he could find the owner. He suddenly realized Ron was beside him.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Something someone will want back," Harry said with a boyish grin. He headed towards the locker room again. After showering, it would be time for him to get back to his common room. He liked to see how people's days had gone, make sure the first years weren't having any problems, and so on.  
  
As he left the locker room twenty minutes later, he pondered what time he'd go to bed that night. He often stayed up until midnight or so, but he was so accustomed to that time now that it almost seemed like an early bedtime. But that was the least of his worries. He suddenly realized that tonight was his night to patrol the hallways.  
  
He had forgotten his prefect duties.  
  
Hermione would kill him.  
  
He was suddenly in a headlong sprint for Gryffindor tower. These patrols were really getting in the way of his schedule. Ever since Voldemort was suspected of returning (although Harry knew for sure it was true), the prefects had to patrol the hallways from eight thirty to eleven at night, to make sure there wasn't any fishy business going on.  
  
When he arrived, Hermione was waiting outside the door, arms crossed, with an unhappy, rather angry look on her face.  
  
"Practice, Herm, it went a little late. Sorry. I got here as fast as I could," he said sheepishly.  
  
"Ron was here ten minutes ago."  
  
Harry added a sheepish smile in as well. He had to change the subject.  
  
"Ron wanted to tell you something, by the way," he said, walking past her to the portrait of the fat lady.  
  
"Mord moi," he said.  
  
"Watch your language!" the portly woman commanded.  
  
"You and your stupid passwords," Hermione rolled her eyes.  
  
"I think it's brilliant. Who would ever tell a guard 'bite me' in French? Huh? Nobody, exactly," Harry brushed Hermione aside, and entered the common room. He hurried up to his dormitory, laid down his Quidditch gear, and left again. As he was heading out the door, he saw Ron giving his account of Quidditch practice to Hermione, who seemed very interested. He wanted something to happen tonight while on duty. Not something bad, just something to stir things up a bit, or raise his spirits a bit. There was always room for revelry. Harry was in luck, he was going to have an interesting night on duty that night, but he had no clue it would be this interesting.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
It was a quiet night. Most students were probably in their common rooms, doing homework. Harry knew that when quidditch started, there would be parties for victors, or parties just for the sake of celebrating quidditch season in full swing. It was about ten after nine when Harry arrived at a picture of fruit. He tickled the pear, and the picture opened up to the kitchens.  
  
"Harry Potter, you must come more often. Dobby is lonely sometimes," Dobby said to Harry as soon as he caught sight of him. Harry didn't blame him. the house elves seemed to lead really flat lives.  
  
"Dobby, I'm on watch right now, but since I had a small dinner, I figured you wouldn't mind if I dropped in for a snack to go."  
  
"Anything for Harry Potter!" Dobby smiled. Harry would pay him a visit tomorrow. Hermione probably was staring at the marauder's map right now, making sure Harry was doing his job. Dobby returned with some muffin tops with icing, and a flask of fresh apple cider. After bidding him goodnight, he left for the halls again. Harry had two muffin tops and a flask in one hand as he dug around in his pocket for something. He came out with a piece of parchment, and a triumphant look spread across his face. Hermione didn't have the map to check on him tonight, he had it! ever since Ron had foolishly taught Hermione how to use it, she had been able to keep tabs on Ron and Harry. Tonight Harry could just sit in one spot until eleven, watching his marauder's map. if anything came up on it, he'd be there and back in a few minutes.  
  
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."  
  
The parchment revealed its secret, and showed that no one was nearby. Harry was just going to look for a place to sit down, when he ran into somebody. The marauder's map flew out of his hand, the flask dropped, but he managed to hold onto the muffin tops. He saw who he had sent sprawling, and quickly reached out to help her up. She was another prefect. But she was also Cho...  
  
"Harry? What are you doing? Why-," she stopped. She saw the marauder's map, and before harry could intervene, she had picked it up. this was trouble...  
  
But instead of looking confused and upset at the map, she smiled broadly. Harry was surprised and dumbfounded. he hadn't seen her pretty smile for what must've been ages...how had he gone on without it?  
  
"So we meet again," she said to the map. She looked at Harry, and asked  
  
"How did you get the map? I never really thought of you as a marauder," she smiled.  
  
"I... got it from Fred and George. How do you know what that is?"  
  
"I had it for a short stint in second year. Fred let it slip out of his book after leaving Transfiguration. I was right there, and I tried to catch up and return it, but he went a little too fast, and I was stuck with it for about three months or so. I managed to finally return it, but not until after I had used it a bit. I found out that Padfoot was Sirius Black and Moony was Professor Lupin. How weird is that?"  
  
Harry thought about it. She didn't know the half of it.  
  
"So what have you been doing with this map anyway?" Cho asked curiously.  
  
"Well, lets see... do you want a muffin top?" He inquired.  
  
"Sure," her eyes lit up. "Thanks Harry."  
  
"Uh-hu. I started by sneaking to Hogsmeade..." Harry went on to explain the whole cycle of the map over the past two years; what he had used it for, how it had changed hands, and the mysteries it had revealed. near the end of his explanation, he started talking about its authors. He drifted off, thinking about his father, and his two old friends who were now watching over Harry.  
  
"Harry," Cho said softly, " I know."  
  
Harry looked at her quizzically.  
  
"About Sirius," she added, "How he's your godfather, how he didn't really kill all those people, that he's innocent. My parents are very loyal to Dumbledore. He told them of Sirius's innocence. I just want you to know I think he's innocent, no matter how many people don't believe it."  
  
Harry's stomach squirmed.  
  
"Just like I believe that Voldemort is back," she used his name, "because he...he killed...," her voice quavered and she broke off.  
  
"I mean, I know we weren't really really serious or anything, we were starting to drift a little, but..." her voice shook.  
  
"I know. I know how you must feel. It's just not there...gone..." Harry drifted off. He thought he had a good grasp on what he was saying, but he hadn't lost somebody who had meant the same thing to him as Cedric had to Cho.  
  
Cho stopped shaking, and they walked on. They'd been walking the whole time, and now the muffin tops and the cider were gone. Harry decided to change the subject since Cho didn't seem to talk about her feelings anymore.  
  
"So why didn't I see you on the marauder's map? That's why I ran into you, I thought no one was around from what the map said."  
  
"Oh, that," her voice started to return to normal, "I put a charm on myself once I cracked some of the magic around the map, so I don't show up on it."  
  
That was very strange. he looked at his watch. it was ten past eleven.  
  
"Wow, we don't have to be out anymore," he murmured. They walked towards the Ravenclaw dormitories. Then they reached a large portrait at the end of a hallway.  
  
"Well, that wasn't as boring as I thought it'd be," Cho said brightly. "Thanks Harry." She gave him a hug, and whispering a password, she slipped into the Ravenclaw common room.  
  
"Good night, Harry," Cho smiled.  
  
"Good night Cho." 


	3. Quidditch and shields

Chapter 3  
  
Harry had been pleasantly surprised that he had been able to share time with Cho. But alas, he had no one to tell when he returned to the dormitory. Everyone had turned in early. Except Hermione.  
  
"Duty wasn't so bad, was it?" she asked.  
  
"No," Harry smiled, "it was great!" Harry proceeded to tell her what had happened.  
  
"See, it also puts people together," Hermione stated. She went a little red as she realized exactly what she had said. Harry gave her an amused and bewildered look.  
  
"Well, I only just got done with studying. I'm off to bed now," Hermione quickly headed for the steps.  
  
Harry stretched and yawned. He decided that sleep didn't sound so bad now, and went up to his dormitory.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
"Harry, let's go. You're going to be late for breakfast," Ron's voice woke him up.  
  
Harry fell out of bed and quickly got ready for breakfast.  
  
"What's the Hurry?" he asked as he entered the common room.  
  
"Quidditch captain announcements, remember? Dumbledore's going to announce the captains of the teams today. I wanted to talk to you about it last night, but you took forever to get back, so I went to bed," Ron said disapprovingly.  
  
"Prefect duties, y'know," Harry defended himself.  
  
"Uh-hu, sure. Hermione already told me where you were," Ron returned smugly.  
  
"Great. I'll bet she really butchered the story too," Harry said. He started to relay the story to Ron, for clarity, but had to pause it when they were joined by Dean and Seamus, who were talking to Lavender and Parvati. They started needling Harry and Ron about Quidditch. They wanted to know if they could beat the other houses, If they would have a killer season, and so on. Ron and Harry were freed when they reached the great hall, where they parted and quickly joined Hermione. Harry finished his telling of what had happened last night, and they turned their attention to Hermione.  
  
"Harry, you were supposed to lead down the first years. You should really organize your priorities," She fumed.  
  
"Um...sorry?" he offered in a small voice.  
  
"Don't worry, I brought them down. But I'm running out of patience. You can't always be neglecting your duties, you know," she quipped.  
  
"Thanks Hermione. I'll be more responsible now. I got a calendar kit that throws up in front of me what I have to do in the next three days everytime I wake up," Harry said.  
  
"Yeah, you've been saying that since the second day, when you forgot to bring all the extra bed linens up to the boys' dormitory," Ron threw in. Harry was about to retaliate when Dumbledore stood up at the professors' table.  
  
"Your attention please," he said, with his voice charmed to ring over the whole hall.  
  
"Each house may know who their own quidditch captain and players are, but the other houses may not," he explained, with his usual twinkling eyes.  
  
"So, we have decided to create a small, new tradition at Hogwarts. At the beginning of each year, we will recognize all quidditch players and captains, so you know who plays what before the games. So, without further ado, the Hufflepuff quidditch team...," Dumbledore announced names of players and the captains, and as they were announced, they walked to the head of the hall. All Harry knew is that he didn't clap very much for the Slytherin team, and put in more energy when Cho was announced. And then the time for Gryffindor to be announced came. Ron was first, and Harry could tell that he was rather nervous to finally be recognized for something so large. The others were called, and as seeker, Harry came right before the captain. His name was called, and he headed for his team, his insides only squirming a little. There was a sudden murmur of confusion as all the students noticed that there were only five players for Gryffindor. Their confusion was both ended and deepened as Fred and George were both called as captains.  
  
"Students, you have before you the best quidditch players at Hogwarts," Dumbledore ended. There was tumultuous applause as the players returned to their seats. Above the din, Harry asked Fred,  
  
"How did you both become captains anyway?" he had never thought to ask.  
  
"So the boy who's survived Voldie four times now doesn't know how the amazing Weasley twins pulled off another death defying stunt? Some things are not meant to be told, Potter," Fred said smugly, with a mischievous grin.  
  
Harry shrugged. It was good enough that they were captains. He didn't need an explanation.  
  
He was ready to eat when he noticed Dumbledore was still standing.  
  
"Before breakfast, I would like to introduce our newest Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. She's starting a little later since she was still learning a few teaching skills. You will probably recognize her, as she did compete in the Triwizard Tournament from last year. Professor Delacour, will you please stand up?" Dumbledore said.  
  
Fleur Delacour stood up. She looked much more formal this year, but boys still stared at her. Harry could see that would be a problem in class.  
  
He looked away to find breakfast waiting for him. He saw that Hermione had hardly even glanced at Fleur. The year was certainly starting to take shape...  
  
* * * * * *  
  
The rest of the week flew by. There was always something going on; classes, prefect duties, meals, quidditch practice, staring at Cho, and mischief, of course. Hermione said Harry made too much trouble for a prefect, and said he was a disgrace, although she liked how his attitude always made things a bit lighter. Fred and George thoroughly enjoyed showing off the new brooms they'd gotten with the money that Harry had given them. They were called Oakblasts, and they were made with endurance, reliability, and resilience in mind. Their speed wasn't as good as a Nimbus 2000, but they were powerful, and perfect for beaters. In fact, George had demonstrated at one of the first practices, by setting his broom at a hover about twenty feet off the ground, then hurling a bludger at it. The ball ricocheted off the broom, which hardly even budged. They had given a Nimbus 2000 to Ron, who was very grateful, and now did their dirty work, if for some reason they couldn't do it.  
  
It was Tuesday when evil found Harry, or at least that's what he thought of it as. Before that happened, though, they were sitting in Defense against the Dark Arts. Fleur was talking about passive magic, and explaining different shields that could be used against different magic. Most of the boys weren't quite listening to the lesson, as usual, which Harry though was a shame, since Fleur was actually a pretty good teacher. Her first day she had stressed that professor Lupin's lessons on simpler dark creatures were not to be forgotten, as they would most likely come in handy.  
  
"Zee most important zing to remember is zat you must be ready to strike back as zoon as zee shield is down, zat way, your opponent won't be able to strike again, zince 'e will be caught off guard," She explained.  
  
"Now, we will practice," she said. Harry looked at Ron. Through the whole lesson, he would glance up, look down again to write some notes, and maybe look at Hermione. He seemed completely uninterested with Fleur anymore. Now that they were all standing up, Fleur waved her wand, and the tables moved to the sides of the room.  
  
"I will fire a weak spell at you, and you must use a shield to defend," Fleur smiled.  
  
The students got in line, and one at a time, would go up and be fired on. Most of the boys were preoccupied from staring at Fleur, and only a few managed to put up shields.  
  
"You must remember zat zee wand motion zhould go up above your 'ead, zen go down to zee floor," Fleur reminded them. All of the girls did well. Ron's turn came, and he didn't even flinch when he put up his shield. Harry came up, and put up his shield as a spell came from Fleur's wand at him. The spell hit, and an invisible clear sphere rippled around him. He thought it was one of the most interesting spells he had ever casted, and it seemed very important as well. He could provoke Malfoy to use magic against him, then laugh as the spells were simply absorbed by his shield...  
  
The bell rang, and Fleur called after the students,  
  
"We will do group shields tomorrow, zo be prepared!"  
  
"Ron, you did pretty good in there. I'm proud of how much more responsible you've become from last year! If only Harry could too..." Hermione raised her eyebrows in a teasing way.  
  
"Pipe down, ya boring bookworm," Harry shot back.  
  
"Can't we all just get along?" Ron put in.  
  
"Oh, a peacemaker?" Hermione asked.  
  
"What a stick in the mud. A square. You have no sense of fun whatsoever," Harry sighed.  
  
"Watch out, here comes Malfoy. I don't want him to invite himself into this conversation," Hermione said cautiously.  
  
"Yeah, he's so boring..." Harry said.  
  
They quickly entered the potions dungeon, and found a seat. They still had potions with Slytherin, which was awful, to say the least. Snape entered. He surveyed the classroom, and slowly started,  
  
"We will be making some of the potions I told you about yesterday," he paused, then continued, "since there are so many different tasks involved, you will be in groups of three."  
  
There was a murmur among the students, as groups were being formed, but no one moved.  
  
"Well, get to it!" he ordered. The students stood up and went to their tables, and started slicing, dicing, boiling, and pounding. Harry, Hermione, and Ron quickly got to work. The potions were supposed to be used to refurbish energy and make up for lots of lost sleep; however, the potions were said to be hard to make, and Hermione triple checked all the steps. They had a muddy looking substance simmering in a cauldron, and Harry poured in some red stuff. They would've kept up their industrious work, but from behind them came a cold voice, full of malice,  
  
"Look at this filthy trash. Like mud and blood...ha, it's just like Granger!"  
  
Hermione turned red and looked very upset. She couldn't ever get away from this moron, her face said. Ron turned around.  
  
"That's not very nice. It's not Hermione's fault you're a blind liar," he said simply.  
  
"I'll bet you were too clumsy to put in the right ingredients, and you've screwed up your potion. Tell me, what are you going to add to make it look the right color, you brainless muggle loving Weasley?" Malfoy retaliated.  
  
Ron smiled, and said,  
  
"Your mom."  
  
Malfoy grew bright red, as even some of the Slytherins started to laugh. He whipped out his wand and brought it above his head. At the same time, Harry came in front of his friends. As Malfoy brought down his wand, sending a curse toward the trio, Harry brought his wand above his head and then brought it down, uttering,  
  
"Guarwallus."  
  
The spell hit the shield, making it ripple. Malfoy stared, with his best curse stopped inches from its target. Harry laughed. They all turned back to their cauldrons as Snape came from his office into the classroom.  
  
"Did anything happen while I was gone?"  
  
The students shook their heads.  
  
"I'll get all three of you. Just you wait," Malfoy said quietly.  
  
  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Thanks for the reviews! All encouragement is much appreciated (as well as any non-flames)! ( 


	4. Surprise surprise(that's two)

Chapter 4  
  
It was another night of quidditch practice. Fred and George had a surprise for them.  
  
"What the heck is that?" Katie asked.  
  
"That, my best chaser, is an obstacle course," Fred sidled up to her and swung his arm over her shoulder.  
  
"Right," she said suspiciously.  
  
It looked more like a death trap. It had a chalked out path between slipshod walls. There were hoops for them to fly through, and there was one area where bludgers were flying everywhere, to knock off all but the nimble (or in George's words, "the players with solid brooms, like my Oakshaft...").  
  
"Alright, children, this course should help a lot with your maneuvering skills. Don't make fun of it, or we'll leave you to die in the bludgers section," George said.  
  
"Yeah, we wasted a lot of time on this mess of wood and magic," Fred added.  
  
"At least they didn't waste the stadium field for this," Angelina smirked.  
  
George went through first, to show them exactly how to do it. Ron was sent in after that, and exited after a harrowing five minutes. They prodded Harry in next.  
  
He sped along the chalked line, and started going through the hoops, which were laid at opposite ends of a passage. Harry could have just went right over the whole course, since there was no ceiling, but Fred said anyone who did such a thing would have to play the next game in nothing but their underwear. The twins were watching like hawks for anyone to disobey, so nobody did. After the hoops, there was a small maze, where you had to go quickly to make par time, but be ready to brake, since walls were right around corners, waiting for someone to barrel into. After that, the passage widened, and Harry saw bludgers flying everywhere. He quickly picked up the speed, and started dodging as bludgers assaulted him from every angle. Left, then right, always up and down. He thought this might've been a good task for the triwizards tournament, it was completely insane for Fred and George to put this in. He finally got to the end, exiting with ten bludgers on his tail. However, they hit an invisible wall, a charm the twins were obviously using to keep the bludgers in the course.  
  
The team went through the course the whole practice. As it was ending, though, a bludger escaped.  
  
"Fred, the charm on the bludger area's wearing off!" George said with much alarm.  
  
"McGonagall'll kill us if we lose those. C'mon, lets go stupefy 'em," Fred replied.  
  
George gave him a doubtful look.  
  
"It'll work," Fred assured him. They headed to the bludger area, wands at the ready.  
  
"Harry, see if you can catch the one that got away," George called backward.  
  
Great. Chasing a violent ball...Harry kicked off the ground and headed in the direction of the wayward bludger. It had headed over the quidditch pitch, towards the forbidden forest. As he headed over the pitch, he heard a whooshing sound below and to the left of him, and looked down, expecting to see the bludger madly hurdling at him. But there was nothing there. Something touched his right shoulder, and he snapped his head up, looking to the right. There was nothing there either. He looked to his left, and was surprised to see none other then a grinning Cho, speeding along on her broom.  
  
"Hey Harry, what're you doing?" she asked.  
  
"Searching for a runaway bludger," he replied.  
  
She gave him a puzzled and amused look.  
  
"Long story," he answers her look.  
  
"I can help," she offered, "I wasn't ready to land yet anyway. Practice just ended for our team."  
  
"You should practice with us. You can tell people how you toy with death because of your insane captains," Harry said brightly.  
  
"Sounds like fun. Wait, I think I saw something down there," Cho pointed to the edge of the forbidden forest. They both dropped lower, heading towards where Cho had seen the movement. They came to the ground, and dismounting their brooms, entered the forest. A breeze brought a very powerful smell towards Harry, which smelled like a hippogriff, but ten times worse.  
  
"Augh, Harry! Say something before doing that," Cho chided him.  
  
"Funny," Harry replied. He suddenly caught sight of the bludger. He looked closer. It was deeply scored, as if something had slashed through it with something very sharp and powerful. Very powerful, it had to be, the bludger was made of solid metal. Harry noticed it wasn't even moving to strike him, as if the magic had left it and it no longer functioned because of the damage it had taken. What could have possibly done that?  
  
His question was answered as Cho gave a gasp, and he followed her stare to a huge smelly animal. It's head looked like a Hyena's, with cruel fangs that looked fit for tearing it's prey to bits. At about it's midsection the hair was replaced by scales, and grotesque wings sprung from its back. It's tail looked like a rattlesnake's, with something that looked like a rattle at the end. The four paws each had claws that looked even more wicked than it's fangs. If those claws could shred a bludger, Harry hated to think of what might happen if it used them on him...  
  
The creature advanced on them, it's tail poised to strike like a scorpion's. As Harry backed into Cho, he suddenly realized what that tail was used for. It was like a wand, it could cast spells.  
  
"Harry..." Cho said softly, looking at the monster. It pulled back it's tail quickly, and in anticipation of what was to come, Harry put up a shield and pulled Cho down behind him. Dark purple sparks spinned out of the tail, and flew into the shield, which replied by rippling. The shield came down, and before the angry beast could make another move, Cho stood up and shouted,  
  
"Stupefy!"  
  
The spell hit the monster and sent it reeling, but didn't send it down. Harry stared stupidly at it, and Cho grabbed him and shouted,  
  
"The brooms!" Harry quickly followed her to where they'd left the brooms. They mounted them and kicked off, streaking out of the forest as fast as possible.  
  
"So, uh, d'you have duty tonight?" Harry asked Cho, taking their situation in stride.  
  
"Oh, yeah, but I might be late. Got a date to go capture a Norwegian Ridgeback, y'know," Cho responded with relief in her voice.  
  
"Oh, a cinch, those. Too bad about the bludger, huh?" Harry breathed heavily. They'd really booked it back to their brooms.  
  
"Yeah, too bad. Just think, we could've taken the poor bludger's place. Oh well..."  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Harry and Cho had dismissed the incident with the monster as an encounter with one of the forest's inhabitants. However, when Harry got to the dinner table, Hermione told him differently.  
  
"Harry, those things don't live here! They come from the highlands of Spain! I don't know where that animal came from, but you're lucky to be alive. They're very dangerous, you know."  
  
"Oh, so Harry the valiant has come to the rescue of the stunning lady Cho Chang yet again? They ride off into the sunset on their brooms, whispering sweet nothings to each other, as Fred and George do the dirty work. Typical Potter. You're a slacker and you can't tell a girl how you feel about her either," Fred scolded Harry.  
  
"You're not much better Fred," George cut in.  
  
"Oh, what? That's such a funny joke George," Fred faked, as his face grew red. He silently added, "Shuddup. You're not very good either." Harry looked on the other side of Fred, where Katie was perched. Fred turned his attention to her, and George silently started to eat some salad. Something was going on there, but Harry wasn't sure what it was. He turned to ask Ron what he thought, but he was deeply engaged in a conversation with Hermione. He looked over at the Ravenclaw table just in time to see a blushing Cho look away, and have Penny catch his eye. She winked at him and turned back to her plate. Something was definitely going on here. 


	5. a little closer...

Chapter 5  
  
Harry went up to the common room after dinner to see if he could get some of his homework done. He ended up staring off into space, though, and neither Ron nor Hermione showed themselves to give him a hand. It was nearing nine, and time to start hall duty, when they made their entrance.  
  
"Ron, your brothers wanted to talk to you about some important quidditch duties, but you weren't here, so they asked me instead. Hermione, McGonagall wanted you to do some prefect things, but you weren't here, so she asked me instead. I'm going for duty now, g'bye," Harry headed for the portrait hole. Both of his friends were ashen faced at this sudden news.  
  
"Relax. Just nagging you back for once," Harry chided them for their uptightness. Ron grinned at Harry, while Hermione wasn't sure to look thoughtful or scowl at him. He made his exit while they took time to reflect, and after closing the portrait, he took out his map. At first he remembered that he couldn't find Cho on it, so it was useless, but then saw something very peculiar. A little dot was blinking on and off, labeled "Cho Chang", with a dot right next to it that stayed constant, labeled "Penny Nipskawitz." The only thing that helped him there was how to spell Penny's last name...  
  
* * * * * *  
  
"C'mon, Cho, just take the charm off! You know you want to talk to him!" Penny urged her friend.  
  
"Penny, I already told you, last time I screwed up. I think I led him on somewhat. I'm not doing that again," Cho shot back.  
  
"I know you want to talk to him, or you wouldn't be agonizing over this! I know you don't feel completely comfortable with this, but how much longer until someone finds Harry? How much longer until there isn't any longer? Do you think Hermione will just be friends with him forever?" Penny tried to convince Cho.  
  
"Hermione has someone else in mind, I can see it in her eyes," Cho smiled.  
  
"And I'm not trying to disrespect Cedric, not at all, but you two were going anyway…,"  
  
Cho squirmed.  
  
"And he didn't want you to be like this the rest of your life either." Penny bit her lip. I have no tact, she thought. But she was right.  
  
"But, it's just…at the challenge…"  
  
"Because you supported him Cho, because you weren't sure if you wanted to keep with him, and so you always encouraged him. You were always there. You thought that was the only way to pay him back for your hesitance. You told me Cho. I understand. Why don't you?"  
  
"You mostly guessed that! How do you know...what I feel?" Cho started to get angry.  
  
"I may not know, but Harry does. I might not be someone to lean on, but Harry is. I might be a bad friend, but Harry isn't," Penny turned and left, upset that she could not make Cho see what she saw all too clearly.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Harry walked slowly down the hallway. Things seemed to be good in everyone else's lives, why not his? Actually, after thinking that, Harry scolded himself for not looking at what he did have. But what was that anyway? Instead of trying to think, he tried to walk. He seldom thought of what this duty meant, but he did tonight. He could say that he was protecting the school, and it'd be true. He could also say he was looking for places to slack in his duties, and that'd be true as well. Slacking didn't sound much better than not having anything, so he just pulled out the marauder's map to see who was around. Near the Slytherin common room a little dot labeled "Draco Malfoy" paced. Draco was a prefect since he was such a loyal Slytherin, but Harry doubted he'd stop a prowler on duty. He'd probably show them the way to Gryffindor dormitory…  
  
Penny was no longer on the map. Neither was Cho. There were tremendous clumps of dots in the dormitories, so thick that you couldn't even see the names. It showed that Katie Bell was in the quidditch pitch. What a die- hard quidditch player…  
  
Harry walked around aimlessly, feeling sorry for himself, but almost with good reason. He finally decided to sit down in a hallway with suits of armor situated on the sides. He started thinking again.  
  
He was deep in thought when he heard someone quietly walking down the hallway. He stayed put, and slowly drew out the marauder's map. He glanced down at it and saw no dots around his. He realized who it was right as she came into view.  
  
Cho looked his way and gave a little start.  
  
"Harry…hi," she forced out, "what are you doing?"  
  
He wanted to tell her he was thinking of her, because he had been. He wanted to tell her what he felt like. He wanted to tell her how he wished things would be. But he didn't.  
  
"Thinking," he said.  
  
There was a pause. Cho looked at Harry; his face was tense, he looked like he was thinking of something painful. And the way he was looking at her, his green eyes telling her how he felt about her. She didn't really think of how much she wanted to be with him until she was. She only thought it was wrong to be around him when she wasn't. Harry got to his feet. He kind of felt like Cho didn't want to be around him.  
  
"I'm going towards the trophy room now. It was getting kind of uncomfortable there," he said, glancing at the spot he'd just been sitting in. He was hoping she'd say, "I'm going that way too", but she didn't.  
  
"Mind if I come?" she asked.  
  
"Sure, why not?" He tried to conceal his gladness.  
  
They started walking down the corridor. Harry felt like saying something bold, but knew that that would be stupid. He walked on; Cho wasn't so easily hindered.  
  
"Harry, have you noticed that something's going on between your friends? I'm just asking, because sometimes people close to others don't know that something's happening, unless they step back and look at it," Cho made a wild attempt to steer some conversation.  
  
"Yeah, I've noticed, but it kinda seems to be everywhere, you know" Harry replied, looking into Cho's eyes.  
  
"Yes," she returned his gaze.  
  
Harry wasn't sure whether to hold his contemplative stare or to break it. He felt like he might upset Cho if he didn't turn away, but he couldn't. And then it was like the hallway was growing narrower, because they drew closer to each other. And time slowed down. Or rather, they stopped walking. A smile crept across Cho's face, and she came closer still. They were closer than half an arm's length. Harry felt like something incredible was just about to happen, when there was a sudden clatter from where they'd just come. Cho turned first, and her face flushed deep red. Harry turned and saw none other than Fred, walking with Katie Bell down the hallway.  
  
"If it isn't Potter! What're y'doing at these late hours, y'rotter?" Fred asked with a mischievous grin.  
  
"I was wondering the same thing Fred. Why don't you and Katie go back to the dormitory, before I'm forced to report you, which might make George the only captain? Hmm?" Harry suggested a bit tersely.  
  
"Righto, off we go then. Ta-ta!" and without another word, Fred and Katie headed for the dormitory. Harry turned back to Cho, but she was already starting for the trophy room. She seemed quite conflicted about how close she had just been to him. Harry became crestfallen. For a moment, everything had been falling into place…  
  
The rest of the evening was uneventful. Cho kept conversation on school things. Harry came with her back to the Ravenclaw dormitory entrance, where she quietly said goodnight and went into her common room. But before she did that, she asked Harry if he wanted to practice seeker some seeker skills the next day, before breakfast. She said that there were rumors that Malfoy was being outfitted with all the most expensive high grade gear this season, and they'd need practice to be able to stand up to what his money had got him. This brought a small glimmer of hope to Harry.  
  
"At least there's hope," Harry counseled himself. He came back to his common room, where several people were waiting to enlighten him… 


	6. Advice and a dream

Chapter 6  
  
The first person Harry saw as he walked in was Fred. He didn't really want to talk to him after what he had done, so he headed for his dormitory. But Fred cut him off.  
  
"Hey, Harry, sorry about that back there. I was just in a bit of high spirits. You know how it is," he said. It seemed like he didn't think that was enough, so he continued. "I was with Katie out in the quidditch pitch practicing, nothing unusual, and she said the funniest thing, so we were all cracked up all the way to the common room," Fred explained. He went on further. "Hey, have you noticed that twerpish brother of mine likes Hermione? Just thought I'd let you in on that one."  
  
"I know," Harry said.  
  
"And just so you know, don't expect many products from the Weasley twins for a little while. No one's ever told you this, I'll bet, but George's wanted to be an Auror ever since he was little. He's always liked Defense Against the Dark Arts, and that's the only class he's at all serious about. He's really starting to work on it now, because we're getting into some heavier stuff in that class. After all, it is seventh year. Just figured I'd let you now that he's not as normal as you thought he was, he likes work. Or least in that class. Well, better be off. 'Night Potter," and with that, Fred went off to his dormitory.  
  
As Harry processed what he'd just been told, Hermione came in.  
  
"Harry, just the person I wanted to talk to! Do you think you could spare a minute?"  
  
"I…"  
  
"Excellent! Y'see, I have a bit of a dilemma. When Ron and I were walking around this evening, I had a sudden thought: What if Ron and I were to…well…"  
  
"Become an item?" Harry guessed with grim humor.  
  
"Why Harry! How did you know?"  
  
"Who doesn't?"  
  
"Oh. Well. What do you think?"  
  
"You have my blessing. Go in peace," Harry said sarcastically.  
  
"Okay. Thanks for your time Harry. You know, it's a good thing I didn't get involved with you, it'd feel like I was with my cousin."  
  
"I know. The door's that way. Leave before I spasm."  
  
"'Night Harry!"  
  
Harry reflected for two seconds before Ron came down.  
  
"Hey Harry, I wanted to ask you for some advice…"  
  
"Yes. Now. Do it. Live a long life full of prosper, and pass me something to kick this headache."  
  
"Um, has Hermione talked to you already?"  
  
Harry just stared at Ron.  
  
"I knew it!" Ron said, his eyes lighting up.  
  
"Do you have anything else to conflict me with?" Harry asked feebly.  
  
"Yes. Go out with Cho. She's purr-fect," Ron rolled his tongue as he went back the way he'd come.  
  
Harry looked around the room, expecting someone else to enter and ask him for advice. He saw no one, and closed his eyes for 1 2/3 seconds. When he opened them, he saw Seamus walk in through the portrait hole.  
  
"Yes! Ask her out! Have five children, but name one after me!" Harry said on the edge of insanity.  
  
"Peace," Seamus said holding up two fingers as he headed for the dormitory.  
  
Harry got drowsy. He closed his eyes. He heard the portrait door creak. He opened his eyes. Cho was standing there.  
  
"Cho, I'm tired of this. It's stupid. Can we just get married now and get out of this forsaken school?" Harry pleaded.  
  
"Harry! I thought you'd never ask! Let's go now!" Cho said with tears starting to form in her eyes. Happy music played as Harry swept Cho off her feet and they left the Gryffindor dormitory, as songbirds chirped a happy song in the background…  
  
"Harry! Holy schnicker bars in spades on a sweet Scottish Sunday morning! What are you smiling about???" Harry opened his eyes. He was smiling from ear to ear. It had been a dream.  
  
"George…why now…why…of all the times you could have come in…I was getting married…" Harry struggled to say with a very tragic voice.  
  
"Wait, was it right after you were approaching the altar when you woke up?"  
  
"…Yes…" came a weak voice.  
  
"You should thank me. Right after that, the woman of your dreams leaves you at the altar and runs off with your worst enemy."  
  
"…Thanks, I guess…"  
  
"Okay, well, I came to talk to you about what you heard at dinner today. You know that my imp of a brother likes Hermione, right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And you know that my dastardly twin likes Katie and can't hide it, right?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"And you like Cho?"  
  
"Yea-er, do I now?"  
  
"You do. Admit it. I'm the only one who probably hasn't needled you for advice or conflicted you tonight."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"I sometimes wish I was an Auror, I'm always trying to guess about what's going on without that divination hocus-pocus."  
  
"Oh," Harry said. George had a point. "I have an insane crush on her, yes."  
  
"Now, you may not know it, but besides being interested in Dada," George paused, waiting for Harry to catch onto the acronym, "I have been accused of being a hopeless romantic. Strange from one of the Weasley twins, eh? So, I have decided to help you."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"I don't know exactly how to at the moment, but I'll offer some advice from time to time. Until then, always be ready to seize the moment. Don't be a nonce and wait until she's already gone to try and hold her, got it?"  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"Good. Now off I go…'night Potter."  
  
George went to his dormitory. Harry looked around dumbly for a few minutes, then suddenly bolted for the dormitory. Hopefully he could see a rerun of his last dream…  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Harry awoke earlier than normal the next day. He was eagerly awaiting the morning practice with Cho. He got onto the field at about 7:15. Cho was already there.  
  
"Hey sleepy-head, where've you been?" she asked as Harry came up to her.  
  
"Somewhere warmer and more comfy than this," Harry replied.  
  
"You'll get used to it. It's a lot better than sleeping in."  
  
"Not if I stay up until 12:30."  
  
Cho replied with a roll of her eyes.  
  
"Alright, I've borrowed a snitch, so we can practice with it. In fact, I've borrowed five snitches, all there are at Hogwarts, so we can go from each one to the next with no delays."  
  
"Sounds good. I'll bet I'm going to catch more than you."  
  
"Get real, Potter. It's a woman's world."  
  
Without any more talk, they mounted their brooms and took off. Harry raced in one direction, Cho shot off in another. Harry quickly caught sight of the first snitch, and began his pursuit. As he drew closer, the snitch darted off. Harry kept on it's tail doggedly, drawing ever closer with the speed of his Firebolt. The trick to getting the snitch was really just finding it, which was easy with five of them loose. Harry swiped at the snitch, and felt it's cold outside in his hand. He threw it off, and looked for the next one. He saw that Cho was already catching up to her second snitch. Harry smiled. What a woman…  
  
His face suddenly changed as something flew out of nowhere and pelted him.  
  
"Watch out for one of the snitches Harry," Cho called to him. "It has the mindset of a bludger."  
  
Harry just put on more speed. The two flew from one side of the stadium to the other, scooping up the snitches left and right. Harry eventually discovered that a charm was on all the snitches, and that after being caught seven times, one would peel off and fly into the chest it had come from. It finally came down to one snitch.  
  
"You can't handle the pressure Potter. Go home," Cho teased.  
  
"You're just scared because you're a girl," Harry rolled his eyes.  
  
"All right, honey, you're gonna get beat now," Cho said, cutting off Harry with renewed desire to get the snitch.  
  
"Don't count on it, luv," Harry retorted. They both sped towards the flying orb, with Harry's speed being negated by Cho's maneuvering in front of him. The snitch was inches away, and just about to turn sharply, when both seekers shot out their hands to grab it.  
  
"Hey, leggo!" Cho said.  
  
"Don't make me come over there!" Harry responded.  
  
They started laughing, and shooting all over, playfully trying to throw the other off the snitch. They finally stopped, neither one willing to let go. They both brought their hands in at the same time, still holding it. Cho looked at Harry. Harry looked back. Their hands were between them, at their sides now, holding more of the other's hand than the snitch. Neither one noticed that they were moving closer. It was last night, all over again. Their faces were less than an arm's length apart, then closer than before. Both got a warm fuzzy feeling inside. It was then that the sun peaked over the stands in the pitch, casting it's light on the two. Both turned abruptly.  
  
"Agh, Harry, we have to go or we'll miss breakfast!" Cho said in alarm.  
  
"Oops! Hermione'll kill me!"  
  
Both shot to the ground right away. They put away the snitches, and after putting the chests in the shed, they flew up to the front gate. They dismounted their brooms, and ran inside to their common rooms.  
  
"What a way to start a day…" Cho thought dreamily.  
  
"Sweeeet…" Thought Harry in a stupor. 


	7. A little trouble

(A/N: what does A/N mean? Anyway, thanks a bunch for reviewing, and if you haven't, try it, because reviews = good. :)  
  
  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Ron saved Harry from Hermione's wrath. He entered the common room just as Hermione was turning in his direction, when Ron came up and started talking to her. Harry put away his quidditch gear, showered, and dressed in very quick time. He scooted down to the great hall by walking with a group of second years. When he reached his table spot, he saw that Ron was in conversation with Hermione, and Fred was talking with Katie. No one around him noticed as he took his seat. He was ready to eat, but Dumbledore had other plans. His magnified voice rang over the hall,  
  
"Students, your attention please. I have some exciting news. In an effort to bring students of magic from all over Europe closer, there is going to be a very special program this year. First, let me show you…" Dumbledore flicked his wand, and the lights dimmed. A transparent map unfurled from the ceiling.  
  
"This. Highlighted on this map are several other magic school locations. I assume you'll recognize Durmstrang and Beuxbatons from last year. Also here are two other schools, Graziosamagia in Italy, and Reinemagie in Germany. A select group of students will travel to all schools, and select groups from those schools will come here. Traveling with the exchange students will be a quidditch team created from the best of all the players here at Hogwarts. They will compete in a quidditch European tour. You will each get a letter explaining the program with your regular mail," and with that, Dumbledore gracefully took his seat. Owls filled the Great Hall, each one dropping one or more pieces of mail to each student. Harry, quite excited by what he'd just heard, reached up and snatched his mail before it could touch the table. He tore open the envelope, and was just about to read the mail, when Fred was ousted from his spot next to Harry by George.  
  
"Hullo Harry. Say, Cho is looking rather good this morning. Have you talked to her yet?"  
  
"When don't I try to talk to her?" Harry said, turning his head to gaze at Cho.  
  
"Alright, excellent."  
  
The food suddenly appeared, and Harry realized how famished he was. He shoveled food into his mouth, turning to respond to George from time to time. He was mostly talking about how fascinating DADA was. Then it was time for class, and Harry hurried off. It was History of Magic, and while everyone else fought sleep, Harry read the letter he'd got. It told the background of the other academies, how the students would be selected, how the team would be selected, and so on. By time Harry was done looking it over several times, class was over. The rest of the day sped by, and Harry was in the common room after class when Fred, George, and Ron came up to him.  
  
"Harry, old boy, we were suddenly hit by an inspiration. You know that useful little map that was returned to you at the beginning of the year?" Fred inquired.  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"Well, what if their were to be some sort of…revival? Some vigilantes labeled as 'the Marauders'? Of course, the Weasley twins will mastermind every effort for the cause, but we have a business to get started. We'll let four skillful young lads into this covert operation, which will bring incomparable fame and fortune, and that lovely Cho Chang's admiration. So what do you say? Are you in for this once-in-a-lifetime experience?"  
  
"Er…"  
  
"We already have Dean, Seamus, and myself in," Ron cut in, "you have to complete the circle of crime!"  
  
"Doesn't that mean there will be a traitor?" Harry responded.  
  
"Harry, Harry, Harry; there doesn't have to be a traitor, only if you think there must be," Fred persuaded.  
  
"Okay…I guess…"  
  
"Great, you're in! We'll be able to have plenty adventures during the quidditch season, skeeving food from the kitchens," Ron replied.  
  
"Yes, especially since there will be regular games and the deciding of the select team that will travel in the exchange. I heard we'll be called the "Hogwarts Elite Phoenixes". Sounds great, huh?" George put in.  
  
"Yeah. But how will we get there? The idea of muggle airplanes really bothers me," Harry said.  
  
"Ah, a good question, young Potter. Hogsmeade has become considerably larger lately, due to this you-know-who scare. All wizards and witches want to be close to each other, so Hogsmeade has become a natural place to move too. So, along with the new residents, the Hogsmeade Airship Aviary has been opened. They send airships all over now, so magic users don't have to mix with muggles. Quite ingenious. In fact, here's the pamphlet to the place," George explained, handing a flyer for the Aviary to Harry.  
  
"And did you know that home schooled witches and wizards from all over the British Isles are forming their own team as well? Apparently there's a lot of the buggers, and they all love quidditch. They'll be called "BI united". Quite a daft idea if y'ask me, but that's up to the Ministry…" Fred said.  
  
Hermione walked in.  
  
"Hey, what're you boys doing? I just heard that there's going to be another Yule Ball this year. Well, this Slytherin boy was standing right next to me. I think he's a fifth year. As soon as he heard that, he turns to me, looks into my eyes, and asks me if I'd like to go with him! Can you believe it? It's all of three months away, and he was already asking me! He looked soooo hot, but I decided to tell him I'd have to think about it. But is that weird or what?"  
  
Ron's face was rather red. The twins suddenly got interested in the wall hangings, and Harry slapped his forehead.  
  
"Oh, yes, we all know how much you love those Slytherins. They're to die for. Unless, of course, they aren't already trying to kill you themselves," Ron said through clenched teeth.  
  
"Oh, have a sense of humor Ron, I was only kidding. Why do you always have to be so irrational? Honestly…" Hermione responded, a bit perturbed.  
  
"Yes, honestly…" Ron answered quietly, looking angrily at Hermione. He turned away and left for the dormitory. Hermione turned to tell Fred, George, and Harry how hotheaded Ron was being, but she saw them hightailing it out the portrait door.  
  
"Boys…" she sighed angrily.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Harry slipped back into the common room after taking a long walk, hoping tempers would have died down by nine thirty. Hermione was on hall duty, and Ron had gone to bed surprisingly early. Harry sat in the common room for a while, then went to bed before Hermione got back. He entered the dormitory and looked around. His group of marauders, his new followers, were all sound asleep. They had left out Neville, Harry realized. But he decided that Neville wasn't exactly the marauder type anyway. He crawled into bed, and went to sleep, hoping things would clear up between Hermione and Ron by the next day.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Harry's hopes weren't enough. He woke up early the next morning, to go to the quidditch pitch. When he came into the common room, Ron was sitting there twisting something in his fingers. He approached Ron, and saw that he was twisting a dragon fang suspended from a leather band around his neck. It must have been a present from Charlie.  
  
"Harry, how much longer until this doesn't happen anymore?"  
  
"Pain?"  
  
"Yes. All of it."  
  
"Never, Ron. We can only try and become better from it. We can only push on, and look at what's not pain."  
  
"Some people would end it right now."  
  
"Some people feel like that, but it passes. It's normal. Don't be caught by it. Besides, is it outweighing what's not pain?"  
  
"What isn't pain?"  
  
"Ron, I know it's hard to deal with some things, but is it really that bad?"  
  
"No. No, it isn't, but it might be. It's hard to think about it. But tomorrow may not be okay. It may never be okay after today. How do I know? I don't," Ron got up and left. Harry stood there for a few minutes. He didn't know exactly where that had come from, but it had surprised him. He walked outsideto the pitch.  
  
"Hey Harry, bad news. The Slytherin team has been upgraded," Cho greeted him.  
  
Harry's tummy grumbled.  
  
"They haven't gotten new brooms, but they did get something else; broomrings. They're like rings, they slip onto the front of the broom, and amplify its features. That makes them better than Firebolts sometimes. It's gonna be some tough competition."  
  
Harry grimaced.  
  
They did the same exercise they had done yesterday, but this time Cho got the last snitch. After they landed, Cho told Harry that the British Isles United team would be coming to Hogwarts in the not-too-distant future to practice on the quidditch pitch. They talked about the upcoming exchange as they walked in the front gate, then went to their common rooms. 


	8. The prefects' bathroom

Chapter 8  
  
Harry decided that since he had a lot more time than yesterday, he would shower in the prefects' bathroom. He rarely used it, because he didn't have the time to go there and back to the common room. So he headed off for the bathroom, with his nice fuzzy prefect's bathrobe on. He reached the door, and took out his wand to sign in on some parchment. The door accepted his magical signature, and swung open. He had suggested they add the sign-in this year since it had been easy for him to get in last year, when he wasn't a prefect. He walked past some mirrors, where a hufflepuff was combing her hair and a slytherin was shaving. He wasn't going to go into the large tub, because it took too long to fill and there were other people in the bathroom. He walked over to the sauna door, and looked in. He didn't want to go in if someone like Draco was in there. But he only saw two ravenclaws and a gryffindor, although he couldn't really see anyone's face, since the window was glazed over. He opened the door and walked in.  
  
"Hey Harry," three voices chorused.  
  
As he sat down, he looked to his right. Hermione was sitting in the corner. Across from him were sitting none other then Penny and Cho.  
  
"Hi. I didn't know you were a prefect, Penny," Harry said.  
  
"Why wouldn't I be?" She rolled her eyes.  
  
"Hard practice this morning Harry? How's the team?" Cho asked innocently.  
  
"Oh, the team's great. But I wasn't practicing with them," Harry raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Cho was just saying how the exchange is going to be really hard to get into, since so many people want to go," Hermione told Harry.  
  
"Really?" Harry said.  
  
"Yeah. And Fleur told Penny that there's going to be another ball announced today, one that will celebrate the arrival of the BI quidditch team," Hermione said.  
  
"Really?" Harry asked incredulously.  
  
"Yeah, But I'm not going unless I have someone to go with," Cho replied.  
  
"Really?" Harry tilted his head.  
  
"Same here Cho. I'm not going to be humiliated like last year," Penny responded.  
  
"Me too. Last year was blah," a Slytherin girl appeared in the doorway.  
  
"Hey Monique. It's bee a while," Hermione said.  
  
"Yeah, it has. Like a week. So what's the news?"  
  
The four girls started to eagerly exchange anything they thought interesting. Harry thought Monique looked hot, but as soon as she sat next to Cho he decided she wasn't as hot as he thought. Five minutes later, the three girls on the other bench quickly moved to the one Harry and Hermione were on. Cho sat next to Harry, and he was just about to ask her what was happening when the door opened and three Slytherins stepped in, led by Pansy Parkinson.  
  
"Well, look who it is," Pansy said in a disdainful tone.  
  
"Yeah, us," Monique replied coolly.  
  
"The unloyal Slytherin and her three - no, four now - consorts," Pansy stated.  
  
"Just some people with lives they enjoy," Monique's eyes flashed.  
  
"Draco overestimates you, dear," Pansy glared at Monique.  
  
"Tell Draco to shove it," Monique snarled.  
  
"It's not often that his favor falls on someone so undeserving," Pansy narrowed her eyes.  
  
"I don't care. There are other people besides Draco, you know," came Monique's unwavering voice.  
  
"Ah, yes, what's his name…Seemly? Pants Seam? Something like that?"  
  
"Your mom."  
  
Pansy frowned and glared harder at Monique.  
  
"Let's go," Penny said, "We don't have time for this."  
  
The four girls left, and then Harry exited, smugly raising his eyebrows at Pansy, who frowned even more. Harry went to the boys' shower room and washed off the sweat he'd accumulated. That had been a very interesting experience… 


	9. make your move

Chapter 9  
  
Harry had to sit in between Ron and Hermione at Breakfast. Ron didn't want to be near Hermione, and Hermione was fine with that. Harry wanted to make things go back to how they were, even if it meant that they'd leave him out a tad. He hadn't minded, in fact, he'd felt good to see how his friends' relationship was growing. It gave him hope when the whole day was done.  
  
Dumbledore got up and announced the coming of the BI team and the ball as predicted. Ron rolled his eyes at the sound of another ball. Harry didn't talk to either of them. He wanted them to realize how much they missed talking, and how they wouldn't be able to stand the silence between them. Breakfast ended, and Harry was off to DADA.  
  
The first thing Harry saw when he entered the classroom (rather early) was Fleur, with her breakfast in front of her, talking to George, who had his breakfast with him as well. They were seated at Fleur's desk at the front of the classroom. George looked at Harry when he entered, and said to Fleur,  
  
"Well, I'd better get going. Wouldn't want to miss Herbology."  
  
"Good-bye, George."  
  
"Good-bye, Fleur."  
  
Fleur gazed in the direction George had left.  
  
"Aww, teacher's got the hots for George?"  
  
"Harry, shouldn't you be zitting down like a good student who keeps zecrets to 'imself?" Fleur smiled mischievously.  
  
Harry took his seat, and waited for Ron and Hermione to come in. They were last to come in. Ron entered, followed a minute later by Hermione. There were only two seats left, to the right of Harry at his table. They had to sit next to each other. Fleur started the lesson. The class flew by, and so did the day.  
  
Each morning after, Harry would get up early and go out to the quidditch pitch. The dance was the Saturday after this one, and Harry had butterflies in his stomach every time he was around Cho. Should he ask her? Should he be quick about it if he did, or slow and casual? He didn't think about much else. But he did know that Gryffindor vs. Slytherin was the day of the ball, and the loser would attend in shame, while the winner would enter in glory. Quidditch practice became longer and more difficult, not for a moment letting up. The pressure was on. The first Marauder's run was scheduled for the day of the game and ball, which was even more anticipation.  
  
It was a week before the dance when Harry got a pretty good idea of who Seamus was going with- Monique. In potions, he was always partnered with her. And every time he said anything to her, she would just look at him with a deep look in her eyes. She was fawning over him whenever Harry saw them together.  
  
George decided to make his appearance.  
  
"Y'know, Harry, since Cho and you are getting along very nicely now, I think you may want to make a strategic move. The ball's coming up soon, and you're probably thinking about asking her. But I have a simple solution for how you should ask her. Instead of asking her if she wants to go with you, ask her if she would like you to escort her. It'll sound perfect since you're both quidditch players, and you could say that you want to save her the trouble of waiting for someone else to ask. Sound good?"  
  
"George, you're a genius. Not really, but close enough," Harry replied.  
  
Since it was Friday, quidditch practice was shortened a bit. Harry ran back to the common room. He'd told his marauders that they would take a test run tonight. The target: the greenhouse. There were some small trees inside that grew a very useful fruit, caladrapples; when it ripened, it tasted delicious. If picked before it was ripe, it smelled awful. So Seamus, Dean, Ron, and Harry dressed in black cloaks and brought the tools of their new trade. Each had varied knickknacks that helped in one spot or another. Seamus had some muggle smoke bombs (the kind children light on the 4th of July), Dean had a coat hangar type device to open locked doors, Ron had some magical gloves that gripped to just about any surface, and Harry had his omnoculars from the quidditch game he'd gone to; they helped to see at night as well as the other features they had. Of course, all had their wands as well.  
  
They set off at about 10:30, huddled under Harry's invisibility cloak. When they got outside, Harry took out his omnoculars. He scanned all around the greenhouse, but didn't see anything around, so he gave the go-ahead.  
  
"So what does this fruit taste like?" Dean asked.  
  
"Chocolate," said Harry.  
  
"Peaches," said Seamus.  
  
"Rock candy," said Ron.  
  
"So like an every flavor bean?" Dean implored.  
  
"Exactly. Now quiet down. We're almost there," ordered Harry.  
  
They reached the greenhouse, and took off the cloak. Harry looked around for signs of anyone who might see them, while Ron climbed up the side to get in through the top vents. Dean worked on the door. They had asked about the caladrapples earlier, if they could have one, but the answer was no. They were to be burned because Hogwarts wasn't a good place for them, and they were just too much trouble to take care of. Or at least that's what professor Sprout had said. So the marauders' first task was to liberate helpless plants. Soon Dean was done with the door, and Ron came out with the two trees that had been held captive.  
  
"Hurry!" Harry whispered loudly, "Filch is coming!"  
  
Dean and Ron ran back in, and swept away the dirt that had gone all over when Ron dragged the caladrapples out. Seamus took out some of the festive smoke bombs. It looked like he could use them after all, because Filch was coming quickly. It was a mystery how he suspected something was going on…  
  
The marauders made sure everything was as it had been, then huddled the caladrapples under the cloak. Filch was outside now, and he was coming quickly towards the greenhouse. Harry couldn't find room for himself under the cloak.  
  
"Hey!" Filch yelled. He started running.  
  
Seamus lit a brace of smoke bombs with his wand, and hurled them everywhere at the last possible moment. Harry managed to get under the cloak, as smoke billowed everywhere. They walked quickly towards the front gate.  
  
"I know you're in here somewhere! I can hear you!" Filch yelled as he ran around in the cloud of smoke. He narrowly missed barreling into them, and then they were through. They dragged the freed trees to their dormitory, where they set them in a corner. Neville, glad that they were finally back, told them that he'd headed off all requests as to the marauders' whereabouts.  
  
"Let's get something to drink," Ron gasped.  
  
"Yeah, there's a pitcher of water in the common room. Let's go," Harry replied, exhausted.  
  
When they entered the common room, Hermione was there, back from duty.  
  
"Where were you troublemakers?" Hermione asked with a curious smile, noting Ron's dirty face.  
  
"Marauding," Ron grinned. He picked up Hermione and threw her into one of the chairs. He got a drink of water and then went back over to Hermione.  
  
"Hermione, do you want to go to the ball together?" He asked nonchalantly.  
  
"Finally, you asked. I thought I'd have to take things into my own hands!"  
  
"Now we just have to force Harry to ask Cho."  
  
"Yeah, we could go on a double type thing. Nothing to lose Harry. Don't be a wimp."  
  
"Thanks, you're really boosting my confidence," Harry said sarcastically.  
  
"George would be angry if he heard you say that. You should really get closer to Cho, Harry," Ron chided.  
  
"If you don't shut up, I'll have to get unhappy," Harry replied.  
  
"Uh-oh, that's trouble. I'll just go upstairs now while I can still escape," Hermione rolled her eyes.  
  
"Take Ron with you," Harry said hopefully. He didn't need Ron bugging him to ask Cho to the ball for the next hour and a half. He went up to his dormitory. Dean and Seamus had placed nametags on the trees; Eve and Alfred.  
  
"I like it…" Harry said, studying the nametags.  
  
"Makes us look a lot better. We liberated trees with real personalities," Dean said.  
  
"Yeah, but don't count on getting any ripe fruit soon. Fred and George are going to get them all early so they can use them in another experiment," Harry said. He heard Ron coming up the steps. He quickly got into bed, and shot the lights with his wand to put them out. The door opened.  
  
"Harry, you really should ask Cho to the ball. I mean, why not, it's…Harry? … Never mind. It figures you'd just go to sleep like that…"  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Harry got up later than he had been. It was a Saturday, and He and Cho had decided not to practice on Saturdays, so he finally got up at a normal time. He showered and went down to the great hall for breakfast.  
  
"Up a bit late Harry? You shouldn't sleep in, it's habit forming," Hermione scolded.  
  
Everyone else was already eating. He had slept late. Everyone else was soon filing out, and Harry was wondering what all the hurry was when he got up. He suddenly saw Cho running over to him.  
  
"C'mon, Harry, the Hogsmeade trip is today! Let's go!" she beckoned, taking his hand in hers. Harry just followed, not quick enough to come beside her and give her any reason to let go of his hand. They ran out the front gate and caught up to a group of fifth and sixth years. There were more ravenclaws than anyone else, but Monique and Seamus were there, as well as Dean and some Huffllepuffs.  
  
"There are a whole lot more stores now that everyone's moving to Hogsmeade," Cho explained, "so almost everyone is going."  
  
Cho had let go of Harry's hand by now, but she still walked close beside him. The group chatted along until they reached Hogsmeade, where they all scattered. Monique and Seamus went to the left; they were going to go all around Hogsmeade, and end up on the right of the same street. Harry decided that that wasn't such a bad idea, and Cho obviously didn't either, because they both followed. The first stop was a pet shop, which was filled with all kinds of creatures that were meant to be companions for witches and wizards. Harry immediately noticed something in the right corner; it was a cage that held flying squirrels. He had never thought of that; flying squirrels as companion animals? It actually sounded kind of interesting, even though they couldn't deliver mail like Hedwig could. After leaving the shop, they went all the way down the street, going into every shop there was. Sometimes one of them would buy something rather interesting, but they mostly just looked around. Hogsmeade was turning into a quasi-Diagon Alley. They finally arrived at Honeydukes. Harry bought some every flavor beans, since it had been a while since he'd had them. He had been too busy staring out the window on the train to buy any…  
  
He also found something else that looked very interesting. There were roses that bloomed on there own, and you could take the petals off and eat them. They were candies, but they looked very real. He bought some just because they looked interesting. They left Honeydukes, and reached one of the last shops. It was a formal clothing store. Harry and Seamus sat down on a bench outside the dressing rooms, as Cho and Monique bolted back and forth, picking up articles of clothing, trying them on, asking if it looked good, then doing it all over again. Monique was a bit quicker than Cho, and left earlier.  
  
"Alright Harry, I think I'm done. Thanks for helping me pick this one out. It's tough, y'know, picking something for the ball that not only I like but that others think is good too," Cho told Harry.  
  
"Like you said, it's a woman's world…" Harry replied, rolling his eyes smugly.  
  
"Yeah, and don't you forget it," Cho said.  
  
"Cho, about the ball…"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Well, you know how all the quidditch players are supposed to have escorts, right?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Well, I figure…" Harry paused. He didn't want to make a mistake like last year. Better safe than sorry… "Who are you going with, anyway?"  
  
"Y'know, no one yet. Several people have asked me, but I was counting on maybe someone else asking me."  
  
"Oh, right… Well, I figure that it might not be a bad idea for players to escort each other, just because that seems like a smooth idea. I'm not saying that my idea's good, but I figure it's worth a shot, don't you?"  
  
"Um, sure," Cho blushed a little.  
  
"Do you think we should, like, escort each other?"  
  
"Harry…"  
  
Harry looked on.  
  
"I actually think that's not a bad idea," Cho smiled with satisfaction.  
  
Harry realized he had been holding his breath. He let it out slowly, as his heart leaped upwards. 


	10. Saturday's coming(and what's Cho doing!?...

Chapter 10  
  
Harry was in a good mood after Saturday. He still practiced with Cho in the morning, and Fred and George had taken a new approach to things. On a chalkboard in the locker room, they outlined numerous strategies they planned to use against Slytherin. They weren't going to let this match get away. Hufflepuff was facing off with slytherin tomorrow, Monday. After a grueling practice, Harry straggled up to the common room. When he got to the portrait hole, he saw Monique and Seamus talking softly about one thing or another, and then he said the password,  
  
"Shattered to bits." He shot a quick glance at Seamus, and motioned him toward the door. Monique didn't see since her back was turned to him. Seamus nodded slightly, and started to end his conversation with her. Harry entered the common room, came to the center of it, and called,  
  
"Marauders!"  
  
Dean came down the steps from the dormitory, while Ron came from one of the girls' dormitories. Harry ignored that as Seamus entered and Fred and George slunk down the steps.  
  
"We've got trouble. Filch must've told Snape that someone `liberated' the caladrapples, and now he's suspicious of me. We have to be extra careful around him," Harry told them, "and just to send him a message, someone set off a dungbomb in his office."  
  
"Harry, hold off. The smelly caladrapple fruit will be finished by tonight. We can make the mix into bombs by tomorrow. That way it'll be more ironic when we attack Snape's office," Fred grinned.  
  
"Great. Can you two make a singagram for me? I want one that will ask Monique to the dance for me," Seamus said.  
  
"Normally they're supposed to say a nice poem about how awful someone is, but I suppose that's not such a bad idea. Maybe we should make one for Potter as well, so he goes with Cho," George suggested.  
  
"I asked her yesterday, you moron," Harry said, exasperated.  
  
The group quickly made some encouraging and congratulatory remarks to Harry, then broke up as the portrait swung open, and McGonagall walked in.  
  
"Harry Potter! Where were you on Friday night? Word has it that you stole two caladrapples from the greenhouse! Not only is that an awful example coming from a prefect, but a quidditch seeker as well! Where are they?" She questioned furiously.  
  
Harry hadn't thought that this would get so out of hand...  
  
"C-caladrapples m'am? What are they?" He said weakly.  
  
Mrs. McGonagall narrowed her eyes.  
  
"Don't play dumb! I didn't want to have to do this Harry, since you are an excellent student to have at Hogwarts, but I'm starting to wonder now..."  
  
"He was here m'am! Honest! I never saw him leave!" Fred put in.  
  
"Harry, I know for a fact you weren't here. You were at least outside, I have several eyewitness accounts. You might not have been the...the...marauder, as we used to call them, so just tell me where you really were. If you did really take those trees, tell me now, and I'll go easy on you," Mrs. McGonagall said, her voice softening.  
  
"He was with me."  
  
Someone had left the portrait open. Someone had walked in looking for Harry. Someone who had black hair, a slim figure, and was a seeker for Ravenclaw house. McGonagall raised her eyebrows in surprise. Dean's jaw swung open, as did Seamus's. The Weasley brothers suppressed wild laughter. Harry just stared, his eyes becoming as large as saucers.  
  
"What...what were you doing?" McGonagall forced the question.  
  
"Oh...nothing," Cho said innocently, coming beside Harry, and putting her arm around Harry's side. Harry followed suit, and put his arm around her waist, his eyes still rather large.  
  
"Er, alright. Guess you're clear Harry. Just don't...oh, never mind..." a flustered McGonagall said as she left the room.  
  
"Nice," Harry said, pleasantly surprised.  
  
"Mh-hm. Full of surprises, I am," she said, "I came here to tell you that I'm wearing solid white dress robes to the dance. Y'know, in case you want to wear matching outfits or something. Later."  
  
She walked out the portrait without looking back.  
  
"Hot..." Dean mumbled. Harry just stood there, looking off in the direction Cho had gone.  
  
"Well, things seem to be going your way, Harry. Guess I'll go back upstairs," Ron said, going back to the girls' dormitory. Seamus left again to find Monique, and Fred slunk back up to his dormitory. Dean went back to a wizard's chess game he had been playing with the board. Only two people were left in the dormitory. Harry was snapped out of his stupor when George cleared his throat.  
  
"Well, Harry, you rascal, I didn't know you were getting along that well with Cho," George said.  
  
"Yeah...neither did I. But there's one problem. You know how Cho used to..."  
  
"Oh, schnicker bars, I am not hearing this. That subject hasn't come up before?"  
  
"No, it's just too..."  
  
"Harry, I'm hearing two things: something very ungood and something very strange. Neither of you have talked about that yet?"  
  
"No, it's a very sensitive topic."  
  
"Well maybe that's best for the both of you. When you both have a burning desire to talk about it, it'll come. Until then, keep your cool. Everything is just peachy right now, okay?"  
  
"Yeah, okay. I mean it's not like I'm worried that Cedric will suddenly send a dark message from beyond the grave that I shouldn't be close to Cho, or that she should stay away from me. It's just that it's there, and I wonder why she hasn't - why the both of us haven't talked about him yet."  
  
"Harry, I don't mean to be harsh, but I think that over the summer Cho was a recluse, and probably sat in one place for long periods of time just thinking. Now she's looking for someone to lean on, to help her. Not family, and not just friends either. You're rubbing off on her, Harry. You're one of the only people who she can identify with. It's just how things fall together. You're like her security blanket right now. Just don't run off or screw up or anything, she's very fragile. Be careful."  
  
"She seemed rather strong just a bit ago..."  
  
"Harry, Harry, Harry...you don't understand women. I do. Just listen."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Just trust me, Potter. Do what I say."  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Fred and George got to work on the worse-than-dung-bombs the same day. Harry sat in the common room staring into space and thinking about Cho. He could hear Ron and hermione talking in her dormitory, with something put in by Lavender or Parvati every once in a while. Seamus couldn't find Monique, so he went up to Fred and George for his singagram. Harry's thoughts drifted eventually to his parents. What had they been like in school? He had been told that they were married right after graduation, and he was born about a year or so later. What had the original marauders been like? His heart had swelled with pride when McGonagall called him a marauder. He felt he was living like his father would have, on the edge of life. He wondered about Cho again, where he would go with her. His thoughts were broken when people started leaving for dinner, and he followed. He saw Cho on the way to the great hall, with some of her friends. He joined the group.  
  
"Hey! Harry, right?" a sixth year inquired. In fact, they were all sixth years.  
  
"Yeah," Harry answered.  
  
"I'm Angela," the same girl replied.  
  
"Hi Harry, I'm Marie," said another.  
  
"Harry, how's it going? I'm Nellie," the last one said.  
  
"Hullo. I'll try to remember your names, but... it may take a while," Harry told them.  
  
They entered the great hall. Cho looked at Harry, and acting like she had only just seen him, said,  
  
"Oh, hi Harry. What's happening?"  
  
"Just socialization," Harry said. They split and went to their house tables.  
  
Dinner held nothing unusual. Afterwards, Harry headed back to the dormitory. Seamus was supposed to be giving the singagram to Monique at the portrait soon. But on his way, there was a gasp of surprise behind him, and some giggling, as someone fell into his back. He turned around and grabbed their arm, to keep them from falling. Behind him were Cho's friends, running for their dormitory, and he was holding onto Cho's arm.  
  
"Friends are the best," she muttered, blushing.  
  
"What are they trying to do? Help improve your balance?" Harry asked, growing red himself.  
  
"I mentioned that I forgot to ask you what time I should get to the ball, and they decided I should make sure tonight. They're idiots. They'll do anything for a laugh. I decided that since I'm the sixth year, it's your privilege to take me, Potter. So how's 8 o'clock?" She added a sarcastic remark.  
  
"Sounds good, ma'am. I'm at your disposal," Harry said, laughing inside.  
  
"Alright. So nothing else needs preparation. See you tomorrow Harry, I have to go find some better friends now," She said cheerfully.  
  
Harry walked on to the dormitory. Friends were really strange. As he neared the portrait, he saw Monique trying to suppress laughter as Seamus grinned broadly.  
  
"I like that idea, Seamus," Monique giggled. Giggling was really overrated in Harry's mind, so he wasn't sure to like what was going on, or to get inside the dormitory quickly so he could roll his eyes. He decided to get into the dormitory. Just as he entered, muttering the brand new password,  
  
"Foundation of sand," He saw Monique completely take Seamus off guard, and kissed him. He probably would have said something or other if he could get a word in edgewise, but...too bad.  
  
Harry rolled his eyes. He rolled them again. He found that he couldn't stop until he'd rolled them several times.  
  
"I'm going insane. How nice," he muttered. As he headed for the dormitory, Dean whispered to Lee Jordan,  
  
"He's going insane."  
  
"How nice..."  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Time was unmerciful to Harry. It flew by him as fast as possible, as if daring him to jump on his broom and try to keep up. Potions was strangely peaceful, as Snape seemed to have a lot on his mind, which actually made him seem almost human, and Draco seemed to be waiting for the perfect moment. Transfiguration and Charms both grew to more difficult tasks, which entailed lots of time for instruction and explanation, and less time for actually doing the spells. DADA became almost strictly theoretical, with Fleur talking about what made dark arts dark. Hagrid hadn't yet asked any of the original trio to tea, or anything of the sort. He seemed to be preoccupied with something distant, but was not about to stop giving Harry friendly advice and encouragement. Harry just plain slept through divination. It was dumb. It was useless. Trelawny was a fraud. He wondered why he took it in the first place. And quidditch added to the mix. Practices were grueling. Harry never knew the twins  
were capable of being so diligent with something unrelated to their quest to open their own magical prankster's paradise retail chain. And it arrived. The Saturday he would never forget. Everything he had been working on was at stake here. There was much doubt that the Gryffindors could defeat the upgraded Slytherins. The Marauders were in danger of being discovered. It had been decided that the first noxiabomb, as the caladrapple bombs were called, should be set off in Filch's office to see if it would work. It worked so well that Filch was out with a personal vendetta for the marauders. He would stop at nothing to discover them in one of their acts of recklessness. And on Saturday night, Harry would go to the ball with Cho. Everything seemed to hinge on this day.  
  
But what made the day even more important was chilling. Harry had a frightening dream on early Saturday morning... 


	11. Dream & Game

Chapter 11  
  
Blackness faded to splashes of color, and the splashes turned into a scene. It was of a rather dark place, hewn from rock, with torches lighting it. There was a stone throne, and in it, a man sat, his face blocked from view by a black hood. Two men, clothed in black robes, kneeled before the throne. The scene suddenly jerked into motion.  
  
"My Lord, our numbers have grown larger since word of your return. I believe we are ready to carry out large scale plans now," said the man to the right.  
  
"Good, Lucious. You have proved yourself to be one of my more valuable followers. Continue, and you may find yourself my right hand man," The figure on the throne said in a voice that carried malice hidden in it.  
  
The man on the left took this opportunity to speak himself,  
  
"Majesty, we have found some artifacts that should help us greatly in the search for the Elcrys. The Garo do not know that we have them yet."  
  
"Those Garo...let them know! We shall destroy them! Those guardians are mere antiques now, there is no way that they can defend their ward against me! They shall fall before they have chance to so much as point a flamescha at us!" the enthroned man growled coldly.  
  
"Great one, we have almost found the two secret keepers. We suspect they are both close to..." the first man's voice dropped to utter the name he loathed, "Potter."  
  
The scene started to fade, and was replaced by a pain that deep sleep had barely covered up. Harry awoke, writhing in bed, not having enough breath to cry out in anguish. He fell onto the floor, and scrambled upwards. He threw open a window close to his bed, and grabbed a pitcher of water resting on the window sill. As the cool night air washed over his sweaty body, he took huge gulps of water, wetting his parched throat and cooling his insides. The pain died down, and Harry just stood there, taking gulps of air instead of water. He didn't want to go back to bed. He picked up his wand and whispered,  
  
"Calendré."  
  
His luminescent schedule popped up over his bed, and showed that it was 4:43. He had gone to bed rather early, so he didn't feel a shred of desire to go back to sleep.  
  
He crept down to the common room, collapsing on his favorite squishy couch, in front of the glowing embers in the fireplace. He heaved a sigh. Living on the edge had been fun, but that edge had now become razor sharp. It stood ready to cut him to pieces after what had just happened.  
  
There was a noise from the girls' dormitory steps, the fifth years' flight. Hermione walked in.  
  
"Can't sleep? I heard someone down here, so I came," she stated.  
  
"No, just a bad dream," he replied. Hermione sat on the couch he was sitting on.  
  
"What about?" she asked.  
  
Harry paused. He didn't know if he wanted anyone to know about his dream. But he decided that since Hermione was a good person to tell, and since she was one of his best friends, to tell her. He told her about his dream quickly, since he realized that he might forget it if he didn't tell her the whole thing fast. When he finished, he heard feet padding down the steps from his dormitory. He looked over to see Ron walk in silently.  
  
"Grrr, I just had an awful dream. I woke up, and you weren't there, and the window was open. But then I figured you wouldn't do that, sooo..." He said quietly. He sat next to hermione who was drifting back to sleep.  
  
"Hmmmm? Ron?" she muttered with her eyes closed. Her head lolled onto Ron's shoulder.  
  
"Yep," Ron said, brushing back her hair. She didn't reply.  
  
"So, why are you down here? What happened?" Ron asked, concerned.  
  
Harry proceeded to tell his dream to Ron, who nodded every so often to show that he understood.  
  
"You had a bad dream too?" Harry concluded.  
  
"Yeah, but I can't remember what it was about," Ron answered.  
  
They started to talk about other things, mostly quidditch, and then some things about girls, then quidditch, then food, and ending with girls at about 6:18, when they dropped off to sleep.  
  
Harry woke up about an hour later, and woke the other two, who were resting on each other.  
  
Hermione went back to bed, but Ron and Harry stayed until the rest of the quidditch team came down five minutes later. They went down to the Great Hall and had a frugal breakfast, then went out to the field. The field itself was not visible, with a low mist hanging over it. But there was one preson out on the field. It was Oliver Wood.  
  
"Oliver!" Angelina cried. The whole team jogged out to meet him.  
  
"Didn't think I would miss your first match, did ya, team?" He said cheerily.  
  
"I see I've been replaced by another Weasley," he grinned.  
  
"Yeah, but I'm Goalie," Angelina said proudly.  
  
"And the other two Weasleys have become captains. Impressive, the way you did that, although I don't know how good you're influencing the team," Oliver said, pleased with the trick they'd pulled off.  
  
"Alright, we'll show you," Fred grinned devilishly.  
  
"Team! Mount!" George commanded. The Gryffindors obeyed.  
  
"Ready..." Fred ordered. The players gripped their brooms in anticipation of the next command.  
  
"FLY!" George shouted. Seven figures on broomsticks shot skyward. Six kept up their speed while Fred took out his wand and fired a series of spells at the chest that held the quaffle, bludgers, and snitch. The quaffle was intercepted by Ron, who immedietly headed for Angelina in goal, with Katie and Alicia flying at his sides. Harry shot upward to the perfect altitude for watching for the snitch. Fred and George flew to cruising height, then spun around to smash the bludgers. They warmed up like this, with Fred and George flying about, batting the bludgers, Ron, Alicia, and Katie shooting on Angelina, and Harry darting about after the snitch, for about ten minutes. They then returned to the ground, where they stretched out, for another fifteen minutes, while Oliver watched, impressed with the job Fred and George had done. After stretching, they mounted their brooms, and flew out of the stadium, just getting the feel for flying. They flew in a V, and Fred and George talked to  
them about the game. They came back and laid around in the locker room until it was time to come out. None of them talked, too nervous to say anything. It was as if they were facing off in the European Youth Quidditch Tour (as it had been called) right now. Harry shut everything out, only focusing on the task ahead. He knew Malfoy was crap last time he played him, but he had probably been practicing for this day ever since the end his third year. And the broom rings only made the matter worse. And the ball. And the upcoming Marauder's run. And the dream he'd had. What his parents would have him do, how they'd want him to do his best, and how disappointed they might be if they saw him lose against these odds, even though they knew deep down that he could win. As he neared the pitch's center (A/N: I was reading this British soccer magazine today, right? Well, the first article I read talked about how well the players were doing on the pitch. Pitch? What? That's from Harry  
Potter... I suddenly realized that a pitch was a field for playing sports, like soccer, in Britain. Can you believe it?! All this time I thought J.K Rowling had made up a word for the place that the quidditch players played over. How dense I am! Grrrr...), he suddenly realized how loud the cheers were, and he looked around to see the stands filled with students, all cheering madly. He entered the circle, and stood ready. The captains shook hands. George was shaking this game; Fred would the next (as if it mattered).  
  
"Alright, children," Madame Hooch said, "On my whistle...three..."  
  
Harry's heart pounded as he got ready to mount...  
  
"Two..."  
  
He thought of all that was at stake and how much he wanted to win...  
  
"One..."  
  
He thought of Cho...  
  
The whistle blast came as Harry mounted his broom, and he streaked upward like a homesick angel. Upward, ever upwards, not daring to look back at what was happening, until he reached the right altitude. The students cheered loudly as Lee Jordan's voice boomed over the stadium,  
  
"It looks like the Gryffindors are off to a brilliant start, with Katie Bell making a graceful pass to Ron Weasley. No Fred, I'm not making a pass on her, don't worry- er, look at that, another pass, this time to Alicia Spinnet..."  
  
Harry scanned the field for the snitch. He wished the game were at 11 in the morning, like it normally was, so that the wisps of mist would have completely boiled away by now. They might mean the difference between victory and defeat, since Draco might see something that Harry couldn't. He watched as George made an excellent hit on a bludger, keeping a Slytherin from stealing the quaffle from Ron.  
  
"...another pass to Alicia, and...wow! SCORE! Didn't see that one coming, did you Kris?" Lee jeered the Slytherins' captain.  
  
It wasn't as bad as Harry had thought it would be. These broom rings weren't all...  
  
"...A very nasty GHOUL scores. Yes, you, you ugly..."  
  
"AHEM," McGonagall cut in.  
  
"Crapper, the Gryffindor seeker is not. It'll be a tense game..."  
  
Harry didn't see Draco. Just because the crowd was watching him for a few seconds, he made a split S. But as he came to the bottom of it, he saw a glimmer of gold. He came out of the loop and casually flew closer. Draco was coming towards it, but didn't see it. Harry suddenly couldn't take the pressure anymore, and turned into a sharp dive for the snitch, just as Lee shouted,  
  
"SCORE, although I doubt that one was legal. Ben Dover, you Slytherin, take your punishment from the Gryphs like a man, er, oops, read the roster wrong..."  
  
That was a really bad attempt at humor, Harry thought, which meant that what Harry wasn't seeing in the battle below was pretty grim. There was a gasp from the crowd as Slytherin scored. He was now coming into the thick of it, screaming towards the snitch, trying not to think of what might happen if Draco was on his toes. He was about ten broom lengths away when Draco overtook him, fast as a spell. Harry veered in surprise; right into the end of Draco's broom. He was knocked off course, and the snitch hit him in the face, then zipped off. Draco turned, but Harry was no longer there. There was a more hopeless gasp from the crowd as Slytherin scored again. Fred and George were doing superb bludger work, but it wasn't enough to combat the broom rings. The Slytherin beaters had hardly even hit the bludgers yet. Harry went upwards, then turned in the opposite direction, and dived down again, just in time to see a Slytherin beater finally contact a bludger, sending it point blank  
at Ron. It smashed into his broom and rebounded into his thigh, while the beater, Darren, guffawed with giddiness. He had finally done something! Kris let out a whoop at the action. Fred sent a bludger right into the beater's midriff, while George sent the other head on into Kris's broom, moments after Katie entered the scoring area. She scored on a very shook up Kris. The snitch appeared again, and Harry shot toward it, while the crowd yelled, and Lee commentated madly at the almost-foul, excellent bludger work by the Weasley twins, and Katie's score all at once. The Slytherins retaliated with another barrage of shots on goal.  
  
"Harry, we're getting slaughtered! Get that snitch! We don't have any time!" Fred pulled alongside Harry for a few moments to smash a bludger out of Ron's way.  
  
Draco was coming in at an angle towards Harry's target, with the second Slytherin Beater practically right over the snitch. Harry was getting closer. So was Draco, with a conceited smirk on his face. Harry reached out, getting ready to grab the game ending snitch... there was a whoosh of air as the beater came downward, smacking the snitch with his bat, then heading off in another direction. The Snitch flew right at Draco, who grabbed it, and looked up at Harry triumphantly.  
  
"You suck, Potter. Go see if you have anyone swooning over you now, you fool of a mudlood lover," Draco said, holding the snitch aloft. Harry just floated there. He couldn't believe it. Slytherin had won...  
  
"Hold it! Do you honestly think I'm blind?" Madame Hooch was obviously having a word with Fred over how he'd let his bat "slip" out of his hand to narrowly miss Kris, and strike the goal rim.  
  
"Snitchnip, you git!" Madame Hooch growled, right next to Harry. He watched with amazement as she seized the Snitch from Draco's hand and chucked it off. She yelled,  
  
"Game's still on! Illegal snitchnip by Slytherin Beater! Play On!" She said, then gave a blast on the whistle.  
  
Harry grinned sillily at Draco, then sped off again. Fred quickly scooped up his bat, and the game went on. The Slytherins, quite angered at their loss, played brutally, and scored two more goals in swift succession. Angelina was blocking 90 percent of the time, too. The Slytherins were just too fast. They hardly even aimed when throwing, the mere weight of numbers was on their side. The snitch was suddenly in a frenzy, everywhere at once, in plain view. Harry was right behind it, but so was Draco. He was faster, but there was one flaw with the broom rings; they didn't improve turning all that much, an area where the Firebolt excelled.  
  
Harry followed the snitch everywhere, as Draco desperately tried to foul him, outmaneuver him, anything that could get him the snitch back. The Slytherins were on a scoring rampage, somehow managing not to foul anyone. They had obviously been working on that, thinking that they had nothing else to worry about. Harry got closer. The snitch was about two broom lengths in front of him, streaking for the Gryffindor goal. Draco was suddenly behind him again. They were not too far from the goal. The snitch seemed to be heading for the left hoop, for whatever reason. It was a broom length in front of him. He urged the Firebolt faster, with Draco hot on his heels. The snitch was almost in the goal hoop. Angelina was staring at Harry, startled and bewildered at what he was doing.  
  
Draco was heading over the hoop to catch the snitch on the other side. Harry made a snap decision. The snitch went through the hoop. Harry followed, straight through the hoop, thrust his arm as far as he could reach, and grasped the snitch with his fingertips. It slipped out like a bar of soap. But his other hand came up. The snitch, as if deciding it had had enough, slowed just the tiniest bit, and Harry gripped it firmly, right as Draco flew over head, trying to snatch it away. A quaffle flew through the hoop, hitting Draco upside the head. The crowd let out its' breath, and cheered. Angelina came through the middle hoop, and pulled Harry close, as the rest of the team came over, exuberant.  
  
"Final score: Slytherin: 160, Gryffindor: 170," Lee yelled, ecstatic.  
  
Harry could hear the Slytherins protesting that a quaffle had gone through right before the game ended. He and his teammates came back to Earth, and walked off the field, in a sea of very excited Gryffindors. They went into the locker rooms, posting two prefects at the entrance to keep any over excited students out. When they were all sitting on the benches, each one done telling of how they'd seen the game, Fred and George said in unison,  
  
"Good game."  
  
They decided that was enough, and left.  
  
As they all filed out, Cho ran up to Harry and hugged him.  
  
"Oh, good job, Harry! Excellent flying!" she said.  
  
"Thanks. It was close..."  
  
"Yeah, I could see that. The way you went through that hoop. In fact, look, there must have been a sharp edge that brushed against your forehead, right here," She traced a line on the side of Harry's forehead where there was a thin cut. His hair covered it up, for the most part. It ran from the edge of his eye almost to his ear.  
  
"Whatta ya know," he said.  
  
"Ron! Are you okay?" Hermione had finally gotten through the crowd, helped by Seamus and Dean, who had elbowed their way through.  
  
"Yeah, fine. It may leave a mark, but at least I'll be able to eat lunch, unlike Darren. They're probably still looking for his stomach on the field somewhere."  
  
Harry walked slowly up to the main gates, talking with Cho. He had discovered that the game had gone on for an hour or so, much longer than he had thought.  
  
Check next to the quidditch game, now for the Ball... 


	12. The Ball

Chapter 12  
  
Harry returned to the Gryffindor common room to find first through third years jumping off the walls over the win.  
  
"Hey! Whattheheck are you guys doing?" Harry yelled.  
  
The young students quickly stopped what they were doing, and looked at Harry sheepishly.  
  
"You started the party without me," He said quietly.  
  
Ten minutes later, when all the Gryffindors were present, they came back to party.  
  
"Silly young ones, after the ball!" Harry said mockingly. They were really going to get on his nerves…  
  
* * * * * *  
  
"Let's go Harry. They'll just have to find us down at the entrance. This is boring…" Ron said. It was boring. They just kept waiting longer and longer for Hermione to come down. It wasn't exactly her fault. Lavender and Parvati were probably holding her up.  
  
"Don't go just yet," Hermione said. She was coming down the steps with the two others in tow.  
  
She had light blue dress robes on, and she looked absolutely beautiful. Or at least to Ron, whose jaw had gone a bit slack…  
  
They made their way to the Great Hall, with Lavender and Parvati chatting nonstop with Hermione. Ron put in a word every now and then. Lavender had a reputation for playing hard to get, and Parvati was trying to be too, but she was trying to be quick and sharp like Hermione at the same time. This made her a rather reserved person. The five reached the entrance to the Great Hall, and Lavender and Parvati wandered off.  
  
"This is great, isn't it Harry? A ball especially for quidditch players," Ron grinned at Harry.  
  
"And their escortees or escorters," Hermione added. Ron rolled his eyes good-humoredly.  
  
"I never thought I'd be on the team. It's a good thing that try outs weren't all at once, or I wouldn't have had any time to prepare," He reminisced.  
  
"I don't see Cho anywhere, Harry. Were you supposed to meet her?" Hermione changed the subject.  
  
"Yes, in fact I-" He stopped. He saw her over at the other end of the Hall entrance…talking to some second years? He made his way over to her. At first she seemed a bit shorter to him. After a few minutes of maneuvering through the crowd, trying to see her from a different angle to make sure it was her, she seemed a lot smaller, too. He was right behind her, at the fringe of the crowd, when she turned around. Her black hair was drawn back, and a few strands fell onto her face. Her deep eyes looked right into his. But she wasn't Cho. But she did look kind of like a miniature Cho. She seemed a lot slimmer than Cho. And her face seemed to be less full.  
  
The doors to the Great Hall opened, and the crowd started to enter as Harry and Not-Cho looked at each other. Harry saw someone descend the stairs and head for the doors very quickly out of the corner of his eyes. He looked just in time to see Cho hop off of her broom right beside him. Some students looked at Cho in a mixture of surprise and interest.  
  
"I'm here," Cho said cheerily. Her hair was a slight bit out of place, but Harry could only think that it contributed to her vibrant features. Her dress robes were a creamy white, and were sleeveless. In fact, the robes seemed to be just short of hanging on her shoulders, yet had a closeness to her body. Her jet hair fell over a cream white scarf that was draped around the back of her shoulders. Her hair contrasted sharply with her robes, and her smile was unforgettable.  
  
"Oh, I see you've met Petra. Harry, Petra. Petra, Harry," Cho introduced the two.  
  
"Hi," The two said.  
  
"Petra's my sister. She's been in the hospital a lot lately, but she's made a recovery, so she's back at Hogwarts again," Cho smiled.  
  
"Cho, you better get in there before the first dance," Petra quietly advised her sister.  
  
"With Harry," She added.  
  
"Don't you worry, Petra. We're already there," Cho responded, taking Harry's hand and quickly walking forward, "Make sure you have fun," she called back to her sister.  
  
"I didn't know you had a sister," Harry said.  
  
"I know, I never told you. It's just that she's been so sick lately. I didn't think she'd want people to know what was happening, so I didn't even mention her. She was sorted in the hospital last year, on her hospital bed. Some of my friends didn't even know about her…" Cho trailed off.  
  
The Great Hall was decorated from floor to ceiling. The ceiling showed stars, with the silhouette of a quidditch player flying over every so often. This really was a quidditch themed ball. Harry was wondering what a nonquidditch player might think of all this, but then had a funny thought. Could quidditch be the gag holding something together? Like the coming exchange? It would serve as an excuse to unite the European schools of magic…and unity was something Dumbledore wanted right now. He could use it in the fight against Voldemort. And then Harry remembered his dream. Secret keepers…for what? And what were the Garo, and the Elcrys?  
  
Cho saw that Harry was frowning.  
  
"Something wrong?" She asked softly.  
  
"No," he shook his head.  
  
There was some faint music playing, and Harry looked up to where the teachers usually sat. A band was on a platform, with signs on the side reading "Charmed Dragonflies". There were circular tables around the edges of the hall, and on both sides were tables with bowls. Harry saw Ron at one of the tables. He said something to thin air, and some cups appeared, and filled themselves. The bowls must've been there just to show what the tables were there for. Harry and Cho were heading across the dance floor when they spotted Draco entering with someone who looked suspiciously like Barbie.  
  
"That's just sick. Draco can ask pretty much anyone he wants to in the whole school to the ball, and they'll accept. Unbelievable," Cho shook her head in disgust.  
  
Harry was about to reply when the music's volume increased, and a slow song started to play. He realized that this was the opening song like last year, where the Triwizard tournament contestants had danced first. He looked to Cho, and she looked back. They walked back onto the dance floor, as all the other quidditch players did. They started to dance, slowly rocking from side to side, looking into the other's eyes. They both felt like saying something to break the gaze, or just looking away, but neither could. They both started to think…  
  
Harry remembered last year, when he'd wanted very badly to ask Cho to the dance. He had felt kind of like- although he hated to admit it, since it seemed so school-boyish- it had been love at first sight. Although he had thought nothing of it last year, every time he spoke to Cho it looked like she hung on every word he said. It was the way she wood look at him, as if admiring him, and also very much wanting to hear what he had to say, no matter how much he stuttered. That's what made him so crazy for her (A/N: *stares into space* believe it…). But last year, he hadn't taken her…  
  
Cho looked at where she was. She was a year older than Harry was, so she felt like she had a sort of authority over anything that happened between them. She didn't need to tell Harry what to do, it was as if he already knew. He wasn't ever unkind to her, and he genuinely valued her friendship. He wasn't trying to back her into anything, unlike almost every one else. He was a firm shoulder to cry on, and he didn't take advantage of her feelings. She realized then that she had helped him, too, in this ordeal that had happened…  
  
…because of Cedric…  
  
The music ended, and another song started, a lot louder than the last, and faster. Harry and Cho moved off to the edge, both lost in thought, but with their minds still set on the Ball. Cho sat at a table next to Nellie, and Harry was about to sit too, when he suddenly didn't want to at all. He stared off into space.  
  
"Harry, there's a seat right…" Cho followed his stare, which she thought ended at the table where the bowls where. Harry saw her look, and quickly said  
  
"I'm going to get something to drink. Do you want something?"  
  
"Uh, sure, thanks," Cho smiled warmly.  
  
Harry made his way over to the table, where there was one bowl that held some kind of fruit drink or another, while another held butterbeer. Being a Gryffindor, he chose the mystery fruit drink.  
  
"Er, two drinks…please?" He asked awkwardly. Two cups popped up in front of him, filled up. He took them both, and headed towards the table. He didn't know what had happened at the end of that slow song, but...it'd been weird.  
  
He brought himself back to the table, and plopped himself down in the seat next to Cho. He took a swig of what was in the cup, and found it was…fizzy, fruity drink that was ice cold. Ron and Hermione came off the dance floors, panting. They had been trying to keep up with the fast dance, but ended up falling down with dozens of others.  
  
"D'ya mind?" Ron inquired as he took Harry's…fizzy drink. He drank some, and gave the cup to Hermione, who drank what was left.  
  
"That dance really bites, doesn't it?" Cho asked.  
  
"Yup. Thought we could keep up, but the buggers just went faster," Ron made a face. Cho gave her cup to Hermione, who accepted gratefully.  
  
"Attention, students, we have some introductions to make," a voice boomed over the Great Hall. Everyone looked up to see Dumbledore and several students at the front.  
  
"I would like to introduce the British Isles United Team! They're all students who come from small schools of magic or being taught at home. They will be participating in the exchange, and have come early to practice on our pitch, since they rarely get the chance to do so. I encourage you all to introduce yourselves tonight, since they will all be here for the rest of the Ball. Remember to be hospitable to our guests…" Dumbledore started to give he names of the students, and when he finished, there was some applause, and the Ball continued. Harry made a mental note to meet them, but he didn't want to leave Cho.  
  
"So are the Gryffindors going to party tonight?" Cho inquired.  
  
"You bet. What would a quidditch game be like without a party afterwards?" Harry said, "Do you want to come? I'm 'allowed' to bring a guest."  
  
"Hey, if it's a party, it sounds good. I'm game," Cho smiled.  
  
The music hit a wall and slowed down.  
  
"Let's go," Harry raised his eyebrows.  
  
He and Cho walked into the center of the hall, and held each other close. This time they were pretty much ear to ear, so they didn't have to worry about looking closely at each other. Harry wanted to look at her, but he didn't want to. He felt kind of like she had thought of something kind of disturbing just as he had. He would've asked her what she was thinking, but he was afraid it was the same thing that he was thinking. Why did things have to be so complicated?  
  
"Has your quidditch team been following your orders, or are they still derelicts?" crappy conversation material…  
  
"They're okay, some of the time. They think it's a little strange to have a girl for captain, even though they voted me in. Why?"  
  
"Oh, y'know, after what happened to one of the players-" *^%#^%@!! What was he thinking?? Change the subject, change the subject! "After not having quidditch last year, what with everything else that was happening, I was wondering what all the other teams were up to. Of course, Fred and George told us that they never stopped practicing…" nice recovery…  
  
Cho just smiled back.  
  
"Y'know, we should spike someone's punch cup before the night's over," Cho said thoughtfully.  
  
"Not a bad idea. Who should we target? Ron…Seamus…"  
  
"They're already tipsy enough with the girls they're escorting."  
  
"Agreed. What about Dean? Or maybe someone like Angela?"  
  
"Those sound good. I think after this dance we should sneak out and get it."  
  
"I'm game."  
  
They kept on dancing slowly, for a few more minutes, until the music started to speed up again. The thing with the music being played was that it never really ended, it would just change tempo, and the instruments being played would change what they sounded like. So as the music changed to some sort of disco-like composition, Cho and Harry went out to the courtyard. It was silent outside, and was much cooler than the dance floor. There were shruberies (A/N: "You must bring us…a shrubbery!" dun dun dun…), small statues, and fountains positioned all over the courtyard. They followed a brick path towards the center. Cho started to turn off to a side path, when she suddenly froze, and backed up a bit, suppressing giggles. Harry realized that she was one of the only people who didn't bother him when she giggled…  
  
"Harry, look!" Cho whispered, pointing down the pathway. Harry peered into the darkness, and then saw what was so funny. Draco and his date were a little ways down, back in the shadows, apparently very busy. For some reason it just seemed indescribably funny that he was snogging with his date. Harry and Cho walked further down the main path, trying their hardest to keep from bursting with laughter. They entered the center of the courtyard, where a large fountain was situated.  
  
"Alright, there should be a door on the other side…" Cho told Harry, as they walked across the center. When they reached the courtyard wall, they found the door, which Cho unlocked with an Alohomora charm. They both slipped inside, went down a flight of steps, and found the portrait of fruit. Cho looked around, then tickled the pear. The portrait swung open.  
  
"Who is it?" an alarmed house elf asked.  
  
"Winky, Harry Potter has come to visit us!" Dobby's voice cut in.  
  
"Hullo, Dobby! I was just coming down to take a look around, see if they're treating you right," Harry said.  
  
"Oh, Dobby likes it very much here, Sir Harry Potter! I can show Sir around if he would like it."  
  
"That'd be great, Dobby. Lead on."  
  
Dobby showed Harry and Cho around the kitchens, telling them what a wonderful place it was. It didn't take all that long, and in five minutes they had reached four large vats, two holding butterbeer, and two holding the fruity fizzy drink. The level of drink would drop a tad every so many seconds, as it was magically siphoned up to some cups in the Great Hall.  
  
"Dobby helped mix these," Dobby proudly proclaimed.  
  
On a nearby shelf rested a variety of bottles, with labels on them reading "use sparingly".  
  
"Dobby, why must those bottles be used sparingly?" Harry asked.  
  
A sly smile spread across Dobby's face.  
  
"Those may make someone tipsy, Harry Potter. House elves use some in butterbeer, so to give it a 'kick' ."  
  
"Interesting."  
  
As they walked out, Cho lagged behind a bit, then walked back to the shelf. She pushed aside some of the bottles, and found something labeled "Padfoot's eighty". For some reason it sounded familiar, so she picked it up along with a bottle labeled "Caladrapple Kick". She then headed back to the kitchen entrance. The naughty mischief had only just begun… 


	13. party time

A/N: finally! Here is the next chapter. I left a note at the bottom for y'all to read.  
  
Chapter 13  
  
Harry led the way back to the courtyard, and when He and Cho got there, they saw something very interesting.  
  
As soon as they exited the school, they saw two silhouetted figures, dancing on the other side of the fountain. Cho squinted her eyes, and saw some flaming red and sparkling silver hair.  
  
"It's Fleur…Fleur and…"  
  
"George," Harry filled in.  
  
"Wait, those two are dancing?"  
  
"I know, it's against the rules. But they're only separated by a year anyway. I think it's okay," Harry became just a little bit defensive.  
  
"I know. I just think they should be dancing inside where the music is. Out here they can hardly follow the beat."  
  
A little bit too quick on that one, Harry thought.  
  
"I think it's terribly romantic, though," Cho sighed, her eyes watching the two dancing.  
  
Uh-oh. Was she saying something? Did she want to dance out here? Or was she saying that it looked romantic? Was he supposed to say or do something?  
  
He was just about to say "Yeah." When Fleur and George walked back towards the Great Hall.  
  
"You think so?" Harry asked softly.  
  
Cho just looked right back at him. Harry extended his hand, and Cho's hand slipped into it. He put his other hand right above her hip, and her free hand went onto his shoulder. They started dancing to the music that drifted from the Great Hall, their eyes only on each other.  
  
Harry couldn't believe that something was finally happening. After - what had it been? Two years? – two years had gone by since he'd first seen Cho, and now he was dancing with her…  
  
Cho was looking at Harry, feeling a warm feeling. Her hand rested on his shoulder, which was firm, yet not muscular. She wondered why her friends always looked at that when looking at boys. Harry didn't need that to be how he was. It didn't matter to her what the general consensus was- that people thought Harry was scrawny. Outward appearances were deceiving. Harry had admirers all over the place, just because of his innocent attitude and his eyes…and his smile…and the way his hair fell onto his forehead…and everything else…but they got hung up on the fact that he wasn't as built up as most other boys. They were wrong, that's all Cho could think, that they were wrong to overlook him for such a stupid reason. And now she was dancing with him, someone who had been there for what seemed to be forever before. And after what she had thought earlier, she suddenly realized something…she needed him…  
  
The song shifted, and they reluctantly let go of each other. Cho retrieved her purse with the contraband in it, and they both headed back to the Great Hall.  
  
"Someone's going to be happier than normal tonight," Harry grinned slyly.  
  
"We just have to figure out who," Cho replied.  
  
When they got back into the Great Hall, they sat at their table, where Angela, Marie, and Nellie were sitting. Dean was talking to Marie, Ron and Hermione were taking a breather from the fast dances, and Seamus and Monique were drinking some of the fruity fizzy stuff.  
  
"Hey, we've almost got a cliche," Harry told Cho.  
  
"I know. It's a very well rounded one, isn't it?"  
  
"Getting rounder," Harry said, as Lavender and Parvati took seats as well.  
  
"I'm thinking that it needs to get a little less round," Cho stated, taking out the bottle of Caladrapple Kick.  
  
"Dean, look, I think I just saw someone go through the crowd with some shin guards on!" Harry said loudly.  
  
"Really? Where?!" Dean inquired. He quickly left the table to find the imaginary person, as Harry slid his cup of punch over to Cho, who discreetly poured in some caladrapple kick.  
  
"Parvati, I heard Colin's taking pictures of the girls with the most fashionable dresses-"  
  
"Really? Where?!" Nellie, Marie, Angela, Parvati, and Lavender chorused.  
  
"That way," Cho pointed to nowhere in particular. The five girls were gone in an instant. Harry and Cho quickly spiked their cups. Ron, Hermione, and Seamus were all busy talking, but Monique looked at Harry and Cho with a sly grin on her face.  
  
"Darn it, you two got to the spiking first," she said.  
  
"What's that, dear?"  
  
"Nothing honey," Monique answered Seamus innocently.  
  
Dean came back.  
  
"Must've lost him in the crowd," He sighed.  
  
"Must've," Harry replied. The five girls came back.  
  
"He wouldn't even talk to us. He was too interested in talking to some Hufflepuff," Angela fumed.  
  
They all took a drink.  
  
"We should spike someone's punch," Nellie said.  
  
"Naw, they'd find out as soon as they took a sip," Dean said.  
  
"Yeah, really," Marie said, taking another gulp of her punch.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Harry and Cho danced to the remaining slow dances, and even tried a few of the quicker ones(but didn't get that far into them). By now, their table had only four sane people, Ron, Hermione, Monique, and Seamus. The rest didn't exactly know where they were. It was approaching midnight, and students started to leave. Harry remembered that the younger students not at the dance might get particularly upset if he didn't come back soon, so he got the table organized enough for everyone to head towards the door.  
  
"Hey, Cho, is your sister coming?" Ron ran up to Cho.  
  
"Er, not really, she's kinda in another house, Ron," She humored him, "Why?"  
  
Harry was wondering the same thing, but was also wondering how Ron knew Cho had a sister. Maybe She had mentioned her earlier, but Harry had been not paying attention, as he sometimes did. Or maybe it had to do with…  
  
"Oh, well, I'm not sure if she wants to come, but Hermione was wondering if she wanted to, y'know, since she wasn't here last year, and she missed things, like parties…"  
  
Harry heard Ron mention Hermione, but that's about it. He was thinking of how this may have to do with Remus, or maybe even Sirius. Could this be all connected from some time in Azkaban…  
  
"…idea, Ron. I'll go…"  
  
Or maybe his parents? His parents knew Sirius, who spent time in Azkaban, which was also were Crouch's son was, who was was well known, who may have known Cho's parents…  
  
"…on up, I'm right…"  
  
It had to be those freakin' Monkeys! There were twelve of them, right? One was missing, right? The twelfth one! It was…  
  
"Harry? Are you okay?" Cho asked, looking concerned at Harry.  
  
"No…I'm fine," Harry said, growing red. Too much was going on. Monkeys? What made him think of something so completely stupid? He got the feeling that Voldemort would be able to make a plot succeed, simply by hiding it in a sea of Red Herring. His dream, Cho's new sister, not to mention that monster he'd encountered. In fact, he'd forgotten that had even happened. He suddenly realized the magnitude of what was happening. He needed to write to Sirius. That was what he should've done from the start…  
  
He and Cho headed for the Gryffindor common room, with the spiking victims in tow. They reached the portrait door, whereupon Harry muttered the password, and they proceeded inside. Gold and maroon streamers were suspended in midair, with imitation snitches flying around, and quaffle looking bowls holding all kinds of food.  
  
"Pretty good for ikkle third years," Harry said as a group of third years walked by.  
  
They walked in further and plopped down on a sofa, along with Seamus, Monique, and Hermione. Gryffindors started to pour into the room, noticing that Harry had left the ball. They formed into small groups, talking about this and that, but Harry heard more students wondering about where Fred and George were and what surprises they would bring than anything else. Hermione, however…  
  
"…I just don't understand how Professor Flitwick believes that you can do something like that without going through the proper steps. It says clearly in "Advanced Quasi-Technical Charms" that… "  
  
"So has anything big been going on in your life lately?" Harry asked Cho. He still got the feeling he always got around, since the first time he'd seen her. He was very nervous. So he tried to make small talk.  
  
"Hmmm…well, I have been thinking about the upcoming exchange. If I don't go on the quidditch team, I'm going to go anyways."  
  
"I'm sure you'll get in," Harry told her.  
  
"I'm going to be competing with you, you know," Cho tilted her head.  
  
"Yeah, I know. It's going to be fun watching you win all those games," Harry replied.  
  
"Harry," Cho gave him a reprimanding smile, "Be more confident."  
  
They carried on talking, when with an uproarious entry, Ron shouted,  
  
"Harry Potter, come see him! Quidditch player who won today's game, and will lead us to the quidditch cup! Adored by all, except himself, he's so perfectly and flawlessly humble and modest!"  
  
"Couldn't have done it without the rest of the team, and Ron's stroke of brilliance blocking the quaffle with his leg," Harry praised Ron loudly.  
  
"Very nice. Now, if you will welcome a very small friend of ours…" Ron shot the Gryffindor coat of arms across the room, whereupon music started playing from it.  
  
"Shake and Bake, and I helped…the Weird Sisters, Enchanted Dragonflies, Cobbing Hypogryphs, Leviosa 4 U, and, specially prepared by me, we have some muggle music, although I doubt you'll like that junk!"  
  
There was cheering all around for Ron's feat. Harry watched as Ron led Petra into the room. Cho went over to her.  
  
"Hey, little sister. How are you feeling?" she slung her arm around Petra's shoulders.  
  
"Great. What about you?"  
  
"Excellent! In fact…" Cho lowered her voice to a whisper, so only Petra could hear.  
  
Harry's mind snapped back to the situation with his dream and suspicions. He couldn't do anything else until he wrote to Sirius. He got up and went over to where Cho and Petra were.  
  
"Cho, I'll be right back. I have to go to the bathroom."  
  
"Okay, Harry, I'll be right here with Petra."  
  
Harry didn't want Cho to know who he was writing to, even though she knew he was not the evil person people portrayed him as. Harry headed towards the bathroom, then scaled the stairs to his dormitory instead. He pulled some parchment and a new pen out of his trunk, and then started his letter to Sirius.  
  
Dear Sirius,  
  
What's happening where you are? I'm doing well, but some things have been bothering me. I had a dream a few nights ago…  
  
  
  
Harry went on to explain his dream in painstaking detail. When he was done with that, he explained the monster he'd encountered. And finally…  
  
…there's also someone I know who knows you're innocent. She says that her family is close to Dumbledore, and they believe him. I think she's awfully nice. I brought her to the quidditch ball thingummy tonight.  
  
Cheers,  
  
Harry  
  
Harry looked at what he had written. It was about three pages long. He had written quickly, but time had gone quickly as well. He opened his window, which was in view of the owlery, so Hedwig could see him. He rolled up his messege, tied a ribbon around it, and gave it to Hedwig, who had quickly flown over.  
  
"Sorry I haven't been to see you lately Hedwig. Prefect duties, y'know."  
  
Hedwig looked at Harry unconvinced.  
  
"I'm making you proud, right? Everything I know I learned from you."  
  
Flattery always did the trick with the owl. She took the mail in her claws and swooped off. Harry watched her go, then closed the window and went back to the party.  
  
"Harry, did you fall in?" Ron asked.  
  
"No, just caught some second years screwing around in the bathroom. What'd I miss?"  
  
"Not much. We're going to play some spiral, what do you think?"  
  
"I think we should go for it."  
  
Spiral was like a wizard-world version of twister. A square on the floor was set up, and color circles were placed in it. Then, the circles were levitated at different heights. So someone could be standing, doing a cartwheel, or any number of twisted situations, and still be touching all the circles. Petra sat with the sphere dial, to tell the others what to do.  
  
"Left hand, blue, extra points if it's the highest one," Petra called out. The players were twisted all over, some even hanging off the bottoms of the circles. Neville lost his footing on a green circle and fell to the floor.  
  
"Ha-ha, Neville fell!" Ron jeered.  
  
"But still stayed longer than a certain Weasley…"Neville grinned. He sat down next to Ron and Hermione.  
  
"Right foot, Yellow," Petra continued, and on left foot, aquamarine, the champion, Seamus, was named. Before the circles fell back to the floor, some fourth years took the opportunity to climb up and sit on the coat of arms.  
  
"Harry, look at this. I found it in the kitchens," Cho showed Harry the bottle of "Padfoot's 80".  
  
"Padfoot…that's…Sirius. Huh. Let's crack it open," Harry decided. Cho popped off the cap, and poured it into a cup. She hesitated, then took a sip.  
  
"Ai, that's some strong stuff," She winced. She passed the cup to Harry, who took a gulp.  
  
"Wow, that's got a kick!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Y'know, the drinks here are awfully bland. Maybe we should add this," Harry suggested.  
  
"Your call," Cho shrugged.  
  
Harry got up and went over to a table where there was a big container of juice, with a dispenser thingy on the bottom. He took off the top, and poured in a majority of Padfoot's brew. Then he dispensed (A/N: I like that word: dispense…) some of the transformed drink into a cup, and took a sip.  
  
"Much better," He said, sitting next to Cho. A door opened, slammed, and two Weasleys walked in.  
  
"Hello, ye poor and downtrodden, the Wonderful Weasley brothers have come to rescue you from your bland lives. Witness as we save you from death by boredom!" They started throwing a large assortment of food items all over the room, as exuberant first years flung themselves everywhere in an attempt to catch them.  
  
"Weren't we supposed to do that?" Harry implored, referring to the marauders.  
  
"We figured you and sweetums would enjoy the break, if ya know what I mean," George winked roguishly.  
  
"Right…" Harry returned a blank expression.  
  
"Butterbeer for all!" Fred shouted. Flasks flew everywhere. He vaulted onto a loveseat next to Katie.  
  
George took what looked like a bludger, and threw it into the air. He took out his bat, and smashed it towards the opposite wall. Upon impact, it exploded into popcorn. He took out another one, and hit it even harder. It exploded into every flavor beans, which stayed suspended in midair. Fred joined in, throwing and hitting fake snitches that exploded into confetti and streamers. George sent spells everywhere, changing colors, making things fly, and making food and drink appear. He ended by levitating four pillows, as well as Hermione, Ron, Cho, and Harry, and sending them to the top of the room, where each one got a pillow to sit on.  
  
"Hey!" Ron shouted in surprise.  
  
George made a little salute to Harry, then sat on the now empty couch.  
  
"You can never tell what he's trying to do," Hermione said.  
  
"Imagine living with him over the summer. It's pure craziness," Ron replied.  
  
"I'm sure he has some sort of reason for this," Cho voiced.  
  
"Hey Harry, Petra told me Cho lost a bracelet," Ron tipped Harry in a whisper, then turned back to his conversation with Hermione. So that's whose bracelet it was…  
  
"Hey, Cho, we found this a little while back. Is it yours?" Harry held up the bracelet he'd found at the beginning of the year. He had put it in his dress robe pocket for some reason or another, and it had been there all night.  
  
Cho's eyes lit up. "Harry, where did you find that? I've looked everywhere for it! It's been missing since the beginning of the year," She exclaimed. Harry handed the bracelet to her.  
  
"I found it after quidditch practice one day. I put it in my dress robes because nobody claimed it. I was wondering why someone wouldn't be asking everywhere about it, it's a very nice bracelet," Harry told her.  
  
"Thanks a lot, I thought it was gone for good," Cho said exuberantly. "Do you think you could put in on for me, I can never quite get it…"  
  
"Sure…" Harry leaned over to where Cho sat and put the small chain around her wrist. It took him a bit, but he took the clasp and hooked it over the other end. There, that was…he noticed he was holding Cho's hand. He looked up at her.  
  
"Harry," she whispered, "I need to tell you something…"  
  
Harry edged closer to her. And then the pillows suddenly lost there state of levitation and dropped to the ground, bringing their occupants with them.  
  
  
  
A/N: Hey everyone, I know I haven't updated for a while. Thank you to all my reviewers, it helped me a lot to get writing when I knew some of you reviewed! Please keep it up! Anyway, I'm going to post a short chapter after this one, then continue the story in a second fic, because it's taken a lot longer than I thought to get to this point. I'll try and get it done quickly, but it shouldn't be too hard, because now's the part where the story gets good (or at least I hope so). If I really get some inspiration, I'll rewrite the earlier chapters of this, the first part; I know it's kinda slow and wishy-washy. Oaky, until next chapter, keep reviewing (just a little suggestion) ;) 


	14. Secrets

Chapter 14  
  
"Woah!"  
  
"Eek!"  
  
"Agh!"  
  
"Schnikes!"  
  
Crash!  
  
"Oops…"  
  
Harry looked around in a daze.  
  
"Sorry, I forgot that those puppies've got a time limit," George apologized.  
  
"Oi, George, Ron just said schnikes! We've taught him well!" Fred yelled from across the room. George turned red.  
  
"We're fine, we landed on the couch. It was actually a thrilling surprise," Cho told George. Ron helped Cho up. This time he didn't let go of her hand. Cho didn't want to let go either.  
  
"It woke me up. Ron was putting me to sleep with his sweet talk," Hermione smiled at Ron. They all sat down on the couch. The party continued, and Harry started to lose awareness. Padfoot's drink had a way of doing that, and soon everyone in Gryffindor tower was un cohesive, and started doing all kinds of strange things. Some were seing how long they could levitate themselves, others were making toasts to everything imaginable. Some simply tried to see how many cups of punch they could drink (A/N: Padfoot's Eighty is nonalcoholic. It just gives a kick and puts ya to sleep. Perfectly harmless, it is, unless you try to operate heavy machinery…). Cho and Harry just sat and talked about various things. Ron and Hermione dropped off, and Seamus and Monique were nowhere around. Students dropped to the ground, unable to fight sleep any longer. The music stopped, and the levitated items slowly came earthward. All Harry was conscious of was that he was sleepy, and he had slipped into a comfortable situation on something soft. Splashes of darkness washed over him, and he nodded off.  
  
There was something there. On a stone pedestal. A Key. Sirius was behind it. Behind him were two others, unrecognizable. Behind those two were seven tall figures, draped in tan and brown cloaks. Out of the cloak sleeves hands held razor sharp rapiers, set ablaze. Piercing yellow eyes stared out from under the cloak hoods. And behind the cloaked figures was a girl, with boldly green hair and amber eyes.  
  
"The key, Harry, here is the key," Srius said. Harry looked at him, not understanding. The dream faded out.  
  
"Harry? I have to go. I just wanted to tell you something tonight…" It was Cho's voice. Harry was at the edge of sleep. He couldn't wake up, or react. But he could hear Cho. "I'm…I'm a secret keeper. For the Elcrys. I wanted to tell you. You fit in somewhere, I'm just not sure where. I wanted you to know. I want you to be more careful than ever before. I…I don't want to lose you." Something warm and moist was falling into Harry's hair. Cho was crying… "Take care of yourself…" Something warm and soft lighted on Harry's cheek. It gave him such a warm feeling inside, he fell deeper into sleep. He realized that Cho had just kissed him. He wanted to stop her. Where was she going? What was she doing? Don't leave! Don't leave! That's all Harry could think, He didn't want Cho to leave. But it was useless. He slipped back into unconscious sleep…  
  
he came awake some time later. He looked around. Ron's head rose, and he looked around dazedly. "Look at all the dead soldiers," he mumbled in an uncohesive stupor. His head fell back to where it was, sleeping. Harry saw Fred looking at all the students, sleeping wherever they had been when suddenly dropping off.  
  
"Where'd Cho go?" Harry asked worriedly.  
  
"Mass," the reply came, "She kissed you Harry. You might want to go back to sleep. I think she wanted you to sleep longer," Fred advised sagely. Even as his words came forth, Harry fell back asleep. What was happening? Did all this mean that…Cho, who had feelings for Harry, was somehow connected to his creepy dreams, where Voldemort was searching for a mysterious girl and her guardians, who were kept safe by Sirius, who knew that strange animals were around Hogwarts, which were hunting in conjunction with…the twelve monkeys?!?! That had to be it!! No, no, that left out the figure standing next to Cho in the dream…so that was Cho! But why was this centering around her? Was it because he was madly in love with her? Wait, he was! He was madly in love with Cho!!! What if he lost her… 


	15. End Note

Alright, this fic is in two parts. This, the first part, is now finished, and if you want to read the second part (bless your soul if you do), then just click on my author's name, Ravenlink, up and to the left. When it shows the stuff I've written, the second part is entitled "Beginnings and Betrayals". Thanks for reading this far, I know my beginning author skills aren't so good. If you want more H/C fics, I have about seven favorite authors (all of them) that write it, and they write it very well. There are some others out there, but I've kind of lost their names : ( 


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